A clueless fan has picked up Nelly Korda’s golf ball after it came to rest under some trees during the final round of the LPGA event in France.
The Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner pushed her approach shot on the par-4 sixth into the right rough under the trees near a roped off spectator walkway.
The fan then raced up to the ball and picked it up, before she was confronted by angry marshals.
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The ball had to be replaced to the best of officials’ abilities, but Korda would go on to make double bogey on the hole.
The commentators were shocked as they watched on.
“Oh it’s not a souvenir, it’s not a souvenir. She’s in big trouble now,” commentator Grand Boone said.
Three holes later, she holed out from a greenside bunker for eagle at the ninth and somehow found herself in a seven-way tie for the lead.
She would recover to post a two-under 69 in the final round of the Evian Championship. She finished at -13, four back from winner Brooke Henderson.
Stephanie Kyriacou was the best of the Aussies, finishing in a tie for 31st at seven-under.
Henderson was in a share of the lead when she snap hooked her tee shot off the tee of the par-5 18th into trees, but she got a miraculous bounce back into relative safety.
She chipped back into the middle of the fairway, before nailing her her third shot to eight feet and rolling in the putt for an even-par round of 71. She was soaked in champagne by fellow players after clinching a one-stroke victory that certainly didn’t come easy.
“Definitely not my best today,” Henderson said. “I just tried to stay patient and remind myself that I was still in it.
“I made some clutch putt and shots down the stretch which really helped.”
Henderson went into the round with a two-stroke lead having barely been out of position all week at Evian Resort Golf Club in rounds of 64, 64 and 68.
That was wiped out after the first hole, though, thanks to a birdie from playing partner So Yeon Ryu (73) and a bogey from Henderson.
So began the craziness of the final round of the fourth major of the year, when there were 13 changes to the lead.
At the fifth, Ryu had a double bogey to gift Henderson a three-stroke lead. At the next hole, Henderson also four-putted for a double and saw her lead slip to one.
Henderson was knocked out of the lead for the first time — if only briefly — when Schubert made birdie at the 12th to move to 15 under, breaking a seven-way tie for first place.
Henderson managed to keep pace with Schubert with birdies at the 14th and 15th, and a clutch par save at the 16th.
The pair were tied for the lead after reaching the 18th, with Schubert playing in the group ahead of Henderson.
Schubert played it better but her birdie putt came to rest barely an inch from the cup – she had to settle for a 68 – just after Henderson had sent away her ugly drive.
“I stayed pretty patient, as patient as I could under the circumstances,” Henderson said. “Going into the back nine, the saying is that majors are won on the back nine on Sunday so I just tried to keep that frame of mind and knew I was still in it if I had a solid back (nine).”
Schubert, who started the final round four off the lead, almost won in just her second major as a professional. Playing her first year on the LPGA Tour, she hadn’t had a top-10 finish before this week.
Five players were tied for third a further shot back: Mao Saigo (64), Lydia Ko (66), Charley Hull (67), Hyo Joo Kim (67) and Carlota Ciganda (68).
– with Damien McCartney
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