DeChambeau tee shot narrowly misses Poulter at LIV Golf UK

A frightening near-miss involving a wayward tee shot from Bryson DeChambeau that narrowly avoided striking Ian Poulter overshadowed the opening round of the LIV Golf UK tournament at JCB Golf and Country Club in Rocester, England, on Thursday, July 23, 2026. Both players were unharmed and went on to post strong scores, with Poulter absolving DeChambeau of any blame for the incident.

The scare occurred on the par-4 seventh hole. Poulter was in the fairway preparing for his approach shot when DeChambeau, playing in the group behind, unleashed a powerful drive. The ball landed and bounded within feet of the Englishman, passing close to his head. A visibly startled Poulter immediately shouted "fore!" toward the tee box, though no warning call had come from DeChambeau's group initially.

After completing his round, a composed Poulter explained to reporters that the incident was a result of unfortunate timing and a blind tee shot, not negligence. He stated that DeChambeau was not at fault. Poulter detailed that his own group had been searching for a playing partner's ball in thick fescue roughly 40 yards ahead, a process that took several minutes. Once the ball was found, Poulter...