Wes Patterson kicked off the Round of 16 in the 2017 World Long Drive Championship taking on top-seeded Ryan Reisbeck at WinStar World Casino and Resort in Oklahoma, locked in the first four balls of eight he would hit in the match.
Patterson, who didn't even have a full slate of drivers that he could rely upon when he arrived at Worlds, took a swing so hard that after he hit the ball, he then hit himself with the club, which snapped in two and flew behind him toward the fans seated around the tee.
Oh my gosh!
Wes Patterson is on to the next round of the Volvik #WorldLongDrive... minus one driver 😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/8F7UliLKDo
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) September 6, 2017
The broken shaft and club head, which also came apart, nearly impaled a fan. Fortunately, the projectile shaft hit him but didn't seem to pierce him. He was OK.
Meanwhile, as all that was happening, Patterson's drive actually hit the grid!
Patterson wound up winning the Round of 16 match against Reisbeck, moving into the quarterfinals with the longest drive for the 16 balls hit, eight by each player.