A scary moment at the Valspar Championship saw Brooks Koepka pause his round for a serious off-course incident on the 15th hole. A young girl was reportedly struck by a golf cart, prompting a concerned reaction from the major champion.

Speaking during the press conference at the Valspar Championship, as shared by NUCLR Golf on Saturday, he expressed concern, saying:

“I just felt terrible for her. I believe her name is Shay. From all the reports I’ve received, she’s okay, thankfully, that’s all that matters. I know she’s probably a little scared, and I really felt for her in that moment...It’s unfortunate; it shouldn’t have happened. But as long as she’s okay and nothing serious happened, that’s what truly matters.”

As the situation unfolded, Brooks Koepka stepped away from play and went beyond the ropes to speak with the girl and offer support. He even stayed with the family for several minutes. After all, as the father of a two-year-old, Koepka understands a fellow parent's worry.

When coverage resumed, Kaufman confirmed that the girl was stable after medical evaluation, though the incident briefly halted action and drew attention from players and officials.

We've Seen How Disastrous Such Moments Can Be

Back in 2019, fans witnessed something similar at the U.S. Open, on the 16th hole at Pebble Beach Golf Links. A golf cart was parked by a group of vendors when a box accidentally fell on the accelerator.

And while it needs to be taken out of park, it seems like it was never put in park. The runaway cart managed to injure five fans, with some battling broken arms and spinal injuries.

Fortunately, at Valspar, this was not the case. Once the girl was safe, play resumed, and Brooks Koepka returned to action, making par on the 15th before recording a double bogey on the 16th.

He went on to finish the round at even-par 71, placing him T-11 on the leaderboard, four shots behind Sungjae Im, who holds the lead at Innisbrook.

Read more at Daily Club Golf!

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar