Jon Rahm apologizes for divot-flying outburst at PGA Championship

NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pa. – Jon Rahm apologized for an outburst Thursday at Aronimink that led to a volunteer inadvertently getting hit with a clump of grass.

After sailing his approach shot over the seventh green, Rahm angrily took what he thought was an “air swing,” over the turf, as he walked away. But his club contacted the grass, and his divot flew and hit a volunteer, first in the shoulder and then the face.

Realizing his mistake, Rahm immediately apologized and said afterward that he hoped to track down the volunteer to “give him a present.”

“I couldn’t feel any worse,” he said, before adding, “That’s inexcusable, and for something that could be completely avoidable. Whether it was my intention or not, it was just not good.”

Rahm’s outburst could be viewed in a new light in the wake of the PGA’s new player code of conduct policy that is in effect this week. A rolling three-strike system is in place that involves a warning, two-shot penalty and disqualification for serious and repeated offenses.

Among the listed violations in the policy, which is prominently displayed in the locker room this week, is “abuse of the golf course, such as deliberately damaging a playing surface through unnecessary force or a swing or repeated swings with a club.”

Sergio Garcia received a formal warning about his behavior at the Masters after he slammed his club into the tee box during the final round.

Rahm carded a 1-under 69 Thursday, his round jump-started by a hole-out eagle on his 11th hole of the day.

2026 PGA Championship - Round One

2026 PGA Championship LIVE updates: Leaderboard, scores, results, highlights and news from Round 1

Follow the first round of the PGA from Aronimink Golf Club.