Ludvig Åberg during the third round of the Valero Texas Open. | Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images
During the third round of the Valero Texas Open, Ludvig Åberg managed to do something preposterous with his driver.
You need to see it to believe it.
On Saturday, Ludvig Åberg stepped up to the tee on TPC San Antonio’s drivable par-4 17th hole with driver in hand.
After the Swedish phenom gave it a good poke, not only did his ball launch off the center of the club face, but the club head flew off the shaft of the club, too.
It created a bizarre scene as Åberg looked flustered by the incident.
And yet, despite the mishap, Åberg’s ball landed 12 feet from the pin on the green.
Åberg could not convert on the eagle opportunity, thus settling for a birdie instead. But on the next tee, a PGA Tour official, Mike Peterson, provided the Ryder Cup star with a backup driver similar to the one he had used prior.
“What happened occurred during the normal course of play so he could repair it or replace it,” said Orlando Pope, the Senior Director of TV Rules & Video Analysis for the PGA Tour on the Golf Channel broadcast.
“You can’t delay play, nor can you carry parts of your club in your bag and try to build it right there. Nor can you borrow one from someone else on the golf course. So Peterson went back and got him a new one from the locker room.”
With the new driver, Åberg launched a 325-yard drive on the par-5 18th but could not make a birdie.
But having started on the back nine on Saturday, Åberg made the turn with a 3-under 33. He added another birdie at the par-5 2nd, as he sits at 4-under on the day and 5-under for the championship midway through the third round at the Valero Texas Open.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
