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Sport

30th May 2016

Golfer brings flowers and chocolates to fan who he hit on the head with a ball

Sweet spot

Kevin Beirne

You might not think it, but golf can be a pretty dangerous game at times.

Sure, you hardly run the risk of pulling your hamstring from sprinting after a stray ball, nor are you likely to break a bone after having a 6ft 8in giant smash into you while you line up your shot, but there are other dangers.

Not only are the water hazards notorious hang out spots for alligators (and sometimes even alligator-eating alligators), but you’ve got to keep your eye out for stray balls flying through the air.

Sure, it might not seem like much, but the fastest ever golf drive was recorded at a whopping 217mph. Not exactly the kind of force you want coming down on your head concentrated into a 45g ball.

Unfortunately, that was the fate that befell Elisa Butler at the Dean & DeLuca Invitational in the Colonial Country Club, Texas over the weekend, as she was struck by a rogue ball from American golfer Tony Finau.

Rather than just do the standard awkward apology in the wake of the incident that left Butler needing stitches in her head, Finau showed up to her house with flowers and chocolate to make sure that she knew just how sorry he was.

Butler clearly appreciated the gesture, sharing the story on Instagram complete with a photo of the immediate aftermath of the injury, as well as a snap of the pair smiling beside each other later on.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF_mtbwHlZh/

Topics:

Golf