Aussie shares Dunhill lead as another spectator struck by golf ball
Another female spectator has been hit on the head by a wayward golf ball, this time struck by defending champion Tyrrell Hatton on the opening day of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Kingsbarns on Thursday.
The BBC and other British media reported that the woman, seen bleeding from the head, was treated at the 15th hole and then taken by buggy to the medical centre at the Scottish course.
The incident comes the week after a woman was reportedly blinded in one eye at the Ryder Cup in France after being struck by a tee shot hit by American Brooks Koepka.
Koepka is also playing at the Dunhill Links, a pro-am tournament staged at Kingsbarns, Carnoustie and St Andrews.
Englishman Hatton was part of Europe's winning team at the Ryder Cup.
In terms of the opening round, Australian Marcus Fraser and England's Matt Wallace birdied their final holes to share the lead at four-under-par.
Fraser, 175th in the Race to Dubai rankings, carded a 68 at a gusty Carnoustie while Wallace matched that score at the Old Course in St Andrews.
"I just sort of stuck it out most of the day and waited for the putts to drop and at the end I made a couple of good par saves.
"A nice long one at the end from about 30 feet (9.1 metres)," said Fraser, who birdied two of his last three holes.
The European Tour pro-am event is played across three Scottish courses, with several players who featured at last week's Ryder Cup in France.
Irish pair Paul McGinley, the 2014 Ryder Cup captain, and Padraig Harrington played their opening round at Kingsbarns and were in a group of five on 69, one stroke off the leaders.
That also included Thailand's Phachara Khongwatmai, playing at St Andrews.
Two-time defending champion Hatton and US Open winner Koepka, also playing at Kingsbarns, were a further shot down at two-under, with fellow Ryder Cup players Tommy Fleetwood (one-under) and Tony Finau (one-over) further down the field.
Reuters