CNN
 — 

Look up a definition of “eventful” and you just may find a snapshot of Jordan Spieth’s Thursday afternoon.

Of the thousands of holes the American golfer has played throughout his glittering career, for sheer spectacle, few will have rivaled the seventh hole he played during the second day of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Spieth arrived at the short par-three with a slender one-shot lead over compatriot Taylor Montgomery. The Dallas-born golfer was a home hero at Texas’ Austin Country Club, and a large crowd had gathered around the green to catch a glimpse of the three-time major winner.

And one fan in particular was about to get more than he bargained for.

“I’m watching Jordan tee off, excited to see Jordan play,” the unnamed fan told the PGA Tour.

“He tees off, I’m watching him swing and everybody’s saying, ‘Hey it’s coming long, it’s coming long.’

“Next thing I know, it feels like somebody’s dead legging me in the leg, I look down and see Jordan’s trickling ball down and I was like, ‘Oh crap, man, that hit my phone.’”

Some 220 yards away at the tee, an aghast Spieth had watched as his tee shot went sailing into the gallery. According to broadcast commentary, the ball had initially hit one fan before ricocheting into the phone, leaving it “shattered,” the fan said.

Yet the ball was still in play, settling on a nearby cart path. After a long discussion with rule officials, Spieth was afforded relief, dropping his ball next to a boulder.

It left Spieth facing an awkward-looking chip onto the green, but only after checking in with the nearby crowd. After apologizing to the fan for breaking his phone, Spieth asked to exchange contact details after the round, the fan said.

“It was pretty surreal seeing Jordan and getting to talk to him and stuff,” he added.

“I was like, ‘Hey don’t worry about it. Just get up and down.’”

Promise kept. Despite overshooting his approach, a stunning long putt saw Spieth save par and halve the hole.

Unfortunately for the world No. 14, three consecutive lost holes down the back nine saw Montgomery rally to win 2&1. It means Spieth must now beat Ireland’s Shane Lowry on Friday and hope Mackenzie Hughes – who he beat in the opening round – defeats Montgomery to force a three-man playoff and stand a chance of making the weekend.

Regardless of the outcome, the hit fan is more than content, with a signed Spieth glove to show for a dead leg and a cracked phone.

“How cool is that? What a blessing, so thank you Jordan for hitting me man,” he said.

It marks the second time in a matter of weeks that a fan has had an unexpected meeting with Spieth’s ball.

Earlier in March at the Players Championship, Spieth looked to be sliding towards a disappointing missed cut when he teed off at TPC Sawgrass’ ninth hole – and his last of the day – at two-over for the tournament.

His misery looked set to be compounded when his tee shot went sailing towards the water, only for Spieth’s fortunes to be changed by a most unlikely source: a fan’s knee.

The ball ricocheted back onto the fairway, and Spieth chipped in for a spectacular eagle that jumped him to even-par and sealed his safe passage into the weekend.

A tied-19th finish marked a solid improvement, though for what would be the first of two times in March, Spieth would end the weekend a glove lighter after handing a souvenir to the fan.

“It’s the equivalent of flying [over] a green towards a hazard and hitting a grandstand and coming back on the green in a way,” Spieth told reporters earlier in March at TPC Sawgrass.

“Trying to get that guy’s information and see literally whatever he wants this weekend because everything from here on out is because it hit him.”

One player in Austin this week who will be able to relate to Spieth’s bizarre rounds is Rory McIlroy, who is enjoying an excellent start after victories over Scott Stallings and Denny McCarthy.

At the 150th Open Championship in July 2022, the Northern Irishman saw a tee drive grounded by an ancient stone at the St. Andrews Old Course and broke a PGA Tour employee’s hand with a stray shot – all over the course of his first round.

CNN
 — 

Only in golf can you watch Spider-Man go toe-to-toe with Shrek, or see a Walrus face off against a Great White Shark.

Since the game’s earliest tournaments, countless top players have been blessed – and cursed – with an array of nicknames, many becoming synonymous with their sobriquets.

Some monikers are a nod to the golfer’s appearance. “The Pink Panther” was a natural pairing for Paula Creamer and her permanently pink wardrobe, while Ernie Els’ tall frame made him a good fit for “The Big Easy.”

Others reference personality. A wicked sense of humor made Lee Trevino “The Merry Mex,” and in the case of Tom “The Towering Inferno” Weiskopf, his moniker is a blend of both his height and his occasionally scorching fits of rage on the course.

On the other hand, some nicknames are spawned by specific events, from the fantastic to the farcical. “Ms. 59” was the title bestowed upon Annika Sörenstam after the Swede shot an unprecedented low score in 2001. Six years later, Woody Austin took an unplanned plunge into the water at the Presidents Cup and resurfaced with a new identity: “Aquaman.”

From the sublime to the ridiculous, nicknames are as natural to golf as bunkers and birdies.

Scroll through the gallery above to explore the most iconic golfing nicknames.

Reuters
 — 

Belarusian Aryna Sabalenka said she struggled to understand the “hate” she encountered in the locker room amid strained relations between some players following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The world number two has previously said she has nothing against Ukrainian people and felt bad for them as Moscow’s action rages on. Belarus has been a staging area for the invasion, which Moscow calls a “special military operation.”

“It was really tough for me because I’ve never faced that much hate in the locker room,” Sabalenka said ahead of the Miami Open. “There are a lot of haters on Instagram when you’re losing matches, but in the locker room I’ve never faced that.

“It was really tough to understand that there’s so many people who hate me for no reason. I did nothing.”

Australian Open champion Sabalenka lost in the final of Indian Wells to Elena Rybakina on Sunday.

Earlier in the tournament, Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko withdrew from her match against Sabalenka over a panic attack triggered by a conversation with WTA chief Steve Simon about tennis’s response to Russia’s invasion.

Sabalenka said she had been having “weird conversations” with members of some players’ teams in the last year.

“It was really tough, but now it’s getting better,” she said.

World number one Iga Swiatek has called for more support to be offered to Ukrainian players, saying the tennis leadership was not doing enough, but two-time grand slam champion Victoria Azarenka of Belarus said that was not the case.

“There are certain players that have different feelings and behaviors. Overall, I don’t necessarily share the same opinion as Iga does,” Azarenka said.

“I’d encourage her to look at the things that have been done before she makes comments. As a player council member, I’m happy to provide the facts. That would be a more appropriate way to have that conversation.”