Left Hanging
PGA Championship 2021: No one has ever been snubbed harder on a golf course by a guy they nearly just decapitated than Erik van Rooyen
By this point we’re guessing you’ve seen the footage a thousand times, but we’re going to show it to you again anyway. Ladies and gentlemen, Erik van Rooyen.
That’s the South African after dunking his 17th tee shot in the water enroute to a back-nine 42 and a missed cut at the 2021 PGA Championship on Friday. In addition to nearly blinding a fan with a piece of shrapnel from the the tee marker, van Rooyen also nearly decapitated playing partner Matt Wallace’s caddie with a flying a club head, which broke free from its moorings and went hurtling across Kiawah to cap the tantrum.
Needless to say, two holes later when van Rooyen’s temper had cooled and it was time to shake hands, Wallace’s caddie wasn’t quite ready to bury the hatchet that moments earlier was flying at his face. Check it out.
If you look closely at the left side of your screen, you’ll see Wallace’s caddie take a sharp look left, see van Rooyen, and immediately book it in the other direction. At that point van Rooyen’s outstretched hand comes into the frame, and you realize you’ve just witnessed one of the greatest snubs in major history—a real “remember where you were” moment.
Ordinarily we’d say under no circumstances should you ever leave another man hanging, but in this case we’re willing to make an exception.