Wayward tee shots afflict even the very best players from time to time, but not many can say a misjudged effort landed where Saiki Fujita's did during the final round of the LPGA's Toto Japan Classic.
Following Fujita's tee shot on the par-3 12th at Seta Golf Club, it was soon apparent that the ball was heading towards the crowd surrounding the green, but what happened next surprised everyone as the ball landed directly in a spectator's backpack.
Originally, there was confusion over whether the ball was in the spectator's hand, because, unusually, he was carrying another ball at the moment of the incident. However, it didn't take long for Fujita to realise that, in fact, the ball was safely inside his backpack.
WHAT ARE THE CHANCES!? 🤯 🎒 Saiki Fujita's wayward tee shot landed in the backpack of a spectator 😂 pic.twitter.com/GmQVm4n82pNovember 6, 2022
The Japanese player instantly saw the funny side but still needed the help of LPGA rules official Sue Witters to determine what the outcome would be before taking her next shot. Eventually, she was given a drop directly below where the spectator had stood when the ball made its unusual landing. That is consistent with Rule 15.2a, which states that when the ball is in or on a movable obstruction anywhere on the course except the green, "you may take free relief by lifting your ball, removing the movable obstruction and dropping your original ball or another ball."
After the drama had subsided, Fujita went on to bogey the hole before finishing the tournament tied for 14th, 11 shots behind winner Gemma Dryburgh.
