Watch: Ben Griffin's ball lands in vehicle carrying a TV camera at the Rocket Classic
"Hole-in-one? Sick!"@BenGriffinGolf's ball landed in a golf cart, resulting in a unique ruling.📺 Golf Channel pic.twitter.com/arLUjf5F3r
An unusual ruling was made during the first round of the PGA Tour's 2025 Rocket Classic at Detroit Country Club on Thursday.
On the par-5 14th hole, Ben Griffin hit his second shot from 258 yards out into the rough right of the green. Well, kind of.
The ball actually bounced in the rough and landed in the vehicle carrying the "jib" camera — the one used for TV broadcasts that swings around on a tall arm — coming to rest between a tarp and the cupholder in the cart.
Because the jib camera is on wheels, it was deemed a movable object, so the rules official directed Griffin to proceed as if the ball had landed in a fan's lap. Pick it up, ask the person to move, and drop it in that area.
Except this wasn't a person, it was a utility vehicle with a 20-foot crane attached to it.
You don't see that every day.
The matted-down grass from where the vehicle was parked actually gave Griffin an advantage on his ball's lie. Ultimately, he hit the green and two-putted for par.
The 29-year-old from North Carolina has been one of golf's biggest breakout stars in 2025. He has two wins and six top 10s on Tour this year, which include T8 at the PGA Championship and T10 at the U.S. Open.
He's looking to secure a Ryder Cup spot, too, and he's off to a good start in Detroit with a 6-under 66 in the opening round, which included a hole-out eagle on his first hole of the day.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NBC Sports
27 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Padraig Harrington's bogey outshines birdies as he shares lead at U.S. Senior Open
Watch the best shots and top moments from the first round of the PGA Tour's 2025 Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club. COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Padraig Harrington made four birdies Thursday, though it was the bogey he saved after losing a tee shot deep in a thicket of trees on the 15th hole that helped him keep a share of the first-round lead with Mark Hensby at the U.S. Senior Open. The leaders shot 3-under 67 for a one-shot edge over a group of six, including Stewart Cink, who hit the first 17 greens before making bogey after coming up short on No. 18. Harrington, the 2022 U.S. Senior champion, made all four birdies on the (easier) front nine at the Broadmoor and was leading by one when he snapped his tee shot on the par-4 15th deep into the woods. The Irishman took a cart back to the tee box for his third shot, then hit that into the right rough. His approach to 20 feet and the ensuing make limited the damage and he made three pars on the way in to stay atop the leaderboard. It was quite a different scene for Hensby, who made seven birdies on his front nine and got to 6 under at the turn, but finished bogey-bogey for his 67. He looked and sounded anything like a leader of a major championship afterward. 'Obviously, I felt like I lost some out there,' Hensby said. 'It's just frustrating. I played like (expletive) the back nine. What else can you say?' Hensby's bogeys each came after drives that missed the fairway and landed in rough that is thick — yet maybe not the biggest problem at this course nestled at the base of Cheyenne Mountain, which influences every putt. 'It's just a different version of what we saw at Oakmont, with really treacherous greens,' said Notah Begay, who made the field as an alternate and shot even par. 'We got a break today, to be fair.' It was, indeed, a calm, partly cloudy day less than 36 hours removed from a massive thunderstorm that soaked and softened the course. Even so, only 17 players finished under par with a few in the 156-man field still on the course as dusk approached. When the tournament was last played here in 2018, David Toms won with a score of 3 under par — a number that made Hensby's 6 under after nine that much more remarkable. But the Aussie, who shot 63 in the second round of last year's U.S. Open at Newport Country Club was more focused on the back nine. 'I've never been a very consistent player,' he said. 'I'm hot or cold, and that kind of sucks. Certain shots I keep hitting during rounds, it just (ticks) me off, so to speak. So yeah, the back nine was just kind of a bit of that.'
Fox Sports
32 minutes ago
- Fox Sports
For Harrington, one bogey outshines the birdies and keeps him in share of lead at US Senior Open
Associated Press COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Padraig Harrington made four birdies Thursday, though it was the bogey he saved after losing a tee shot deep in a thicket of trees on the 15th hole that helped him keep a share of the first-round lead with Mark Hensby at the U.S. Senior Open. The leaders shot 3-under 67 for a one-shot edge over a group of six, including Stewart Cink, who hit the first 17 greens before making bogey after coming up short on No. 18. Harrington, the 2022 U.S. Senior champion, made all four birdies on the (easier) front nine at the Broadmoor and was leading by one when he snapped his tee shot on the par-4 15th deep into the woods. The Irishman took a cart back to the tee box for his third shot, then hit that into the right rough. His approach to 20 feet and the ensuing make limited the damage and he made three pars on the way in to stay atop the leaderboard. It was quite a different scene for Hensby, who made seven birdies on his front nine and got to 6 under at the turn, but finished bogey-bogey for his 67. He looked and sounded anything like a leader of a major championship afterward. 'Obviously, I felt like I lost some out there,' Hensby said. 'It's just frustrating. I played like (expletive) the back nine. What else can you say?' Hensby's bogeys each came after drives that missed the fairway and landed in rough that is thick — yet maybe not the biggest problem at this course nestled at the base of Cheyenne Mountain, which influences every putt. 'It's just a different version of what we saw at Oakmont, with really treacherous greens,' said Notah Begay, who made the field as an alternate and shot even par. 'We got a break today, to be fair.' It was, indeed, a calm, partly cloudy day less than 36 hours removed from a massive thunderstorm that soaked and softened the course. Even so, only 17 players finished under par with a few in the 156-man field still on the course as dusk approached. When the tournament was last played here in 2018, David Toms won with a score of 3-under par — a number that made Hensby's 6 under after nine that much more remarkable. But the Aussie, who shot 63 in the second round of last year's U.S. Open at Newport Country Club was more focused on the back nine. 'I've never been a very consistent player,' he said. 'I'm hot or cold, and that kind of sucks. Certain shots I keep hitting during rounds, it just (ticks) me off, so to speak. So yeah, the back nine was just kind of a bit of that.' ___
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
Kevin Roy, Aldrich Potgieter shoot Rocket Classic-record 62s to share first-round lead
Potgieter and Roy each shot 10-under 62 to break the tournament 18-hole record. Detroit Golf Club has been one of the easiest courses since the PGA Tour made it an annual stop in 2019. A pair of Korn Ferry graduates took full advantage. Potgieter, the 20-year-old South African who grew up in Australia, started at No. 10 and set a tournament record with a 7-under 29 on the back nine. Advertisement Potgieter and the 35-year-old Roy each had an eagle and eight birdies in bogey-free rounds. On 578-yard, par-5 17th, Roy's drive went 300 yards, his second shot traveled another 288 yards and his chip from the rough rolled in from 30 feet. 'Just one of those days everything was clicking,' Roy said. 'I was shocked my 5-wood went that far. I had 279 pin. I don't hit a 5-wood that far, but maybe a little adrenaline or something going on.' As well as Roy and Potgieter played, they can't get comfortable on a short course with greens that are even more receptive than usual with recent rain. 'It was pretty easy,' Andrew Putnam said after a 64. Advertisement Min Woo Lee, Max Greyserman, and Mark Hubbard were a stroke back after matching the previous tournament record of 63. Two-time major champion Zach Johnson was in the group of seven players that were two shots back. Lee enjoyed playing Detroit Golf Club after struggling — along with most of his peers — at Oakmont during the US Open and at the Memorial. 'I was really excited for this week,' he said. 'I wanted to get to hit in the rough and actually hit onto the green. 'Hopefully, the PGA Tour can have more courses like this. It would be a bit more fun and less stressful.' While the course is easy as usual, the competition is relatively strong for the tournament that many top players have skipped in the past. The field includes nine of the top 50 players in the world, led by fifth-ranked Collin Morikawa, who opened with a 69 after parting ways with a caddie for the second time this year. KK Limbhasut, a teammate of Morikawa's at California and a Korn Ferry Tour player, is filling in this week as a caddie while Morikawa tries to find what he's looking for on his bag. 'It's like asking a 20-year-old or 15-year-old what does your future wife look like, right?' Morikawa asked. 'There's a lot of things you could say, but just because you say it doesn't mean that's actually what comes together. 'It's a partnership. We both give and we both take. For me, it's just being able to be comfortable out there trusting them and just having a good time.' Advertisement The idea of Bradley playing at Bethpage Black for the Sept. 28-30 matches against Europe is picking up steam among fellow American players — and fans. 'Put yourself on the team!' a man shouted at Bradley, who didn't react to the suggestion as he walked to sign his card after the opening round.
