A brutal lie in the notorious Shinnecock fescue led to one of the most unusual moments of the final round at the 2026 U.S. Open.

Sahith Theegala gave spectators at Shinnecock Hills an unexpected scare during the final round of the U.S. Open when his club slipped from his hands and flew towards the gallery after a desperate attempt to escape the thick fescue. (video below)

The incident occurred on the par-4 fourth hole as Theegala faced one of the toughest lies of the week.

After taking an aggressive swing from the deep rough, the club launched from his grip and sailed towards nearby fans.

Fortunately, nobody was injured.

The moment sparked comparisons to Joaquin Niemann’s two-stroke penalty earlier in the championship.

Niemann was penalized during the opening round after intentionally throwing his club in frustration on the sixth hole.

Theegala’s case was very different. The American clearly lost control of the club while trying to hack his ball free from the punishing fescue that has been a defining feature of this year’s U.S. Open.

The lie was so severe that Theegala unearthed another golf ball buried beneath his own while attempting to advance it back into play, underlining the brutal conditions players faced throughout the week.

Theegala eventually made a double bogey on the hole, ending any realistic hopes of mounting a charge up the leaderboard.

He closed with a final-round 73 to finish the championship at two-over par, tied for 11th place.

At the top of the leaderboard, Wyndham Clark also signed for a 73, finishing at four-under par and securing a one-shot victory over Sam Burns.

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:

That was wild!

Sahith Theegala’s club goes flying… and he discovers another golf ball buried under his lie. pic.twitter.com/HTNRjBWDjD

— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 21, 2026

Article originally appeared on: Golfmagic.com