‘Sorry mate’: Adam Scott signs glove for dazed fan struck by wayward drive
By Tom Morgan
An unsuspecting spectator described his “real shock” after being left bloodied and floored by a wayward drive from Adam Scott at the British Open.
Christopher Ineson expressed mild embarrassment at being the only member of his group to fail to duck amid shouts of “fore” as the ball rocketed his way during the first round on Friday (AEST).
The Liverpool chef and owner of Black Lodge Brewery, 34, was so dazed he did not recognise Scott as he came over to apologise.
“It was a drive off the 18th, full toss, it didn’t bounce,” he told London’s Telegraph Sport while nursing his sore head. “I heard the shout of fore and everyone ducked. I saw my mate duck and then it hit me right on the back of the head.”
His friend Rob Tuffnell, who was alongside him, said: “It sounded like a golf ball hitting mud or playdough.”
Scott looked concerned and immediately walked over to establish whether the spectator was all right. He then handed him a signed glove, with the message “sorry mate”. Ineson said he planned to have the glove framed.
Ineson posted online: “This is what happens when you take a day off work!”
“It was a real shock,” he said while pointing to a three-centimetre gash on the back of his head. “This was supposed to be our day. We both love the golf but my mate’s more of a golfer than I am, although I go to the range.
“We had followed [Tommy] Fleetwood the whole way around. We’d been around 17 holes and then coming to the 18th, we were deciding who to follow next, maybe Rory [McIlroy], and the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground.
“Obviously, the first thing you do is try to stand back up but I had about three hands on my head, saying, ‘Just stay there’.”
Adam Scott and, inset, British Open spectator Christopher Ineson with the glove given to him by the Australian.Credit: Twitter, Getty
Ineson is understood to have been one of three spectators attended to by medics that afternoon.
“I saw the medics and I had to lie down on a buggy and be driven across the course, which is incredibly embarrassing,” he added. “There’s no concussion. It’s very sore, but you would have to be incredibly unlucky for it to be seriously injured.”
Of his meeting with Australian Scott, he added: “I didn’t know who he was – I just saw a tall man ask if I was OK and just hand me the glove. It was a nice touch.”
Scott had endured a tough two-drive sequence, with the first going out of bounds on the right and second soaring over a fence on the left.
Telegraph, London
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