The dreaded double hit: We’ve all been there. The embarrassing mishap—in which one’s golf club accidentally makes contact with the ball not once but twice during the same swing—classifies as nightmare fuel for any golfer. Now Hideki Matsuyama, in contention after the first round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, can join the club.
During Thursday’s opening round, the former Masters champion was stunned when he heard his ball click against his wedge a second time when chipping from beside the 15th green at Bay Hill.
There was more than one reason for Matsuyama’s bewildered reaction. First, the double-hit was simply too shocking to comprehend, even when chipping from Bay Hill’s infamously thick rough.
Second, Matsuyama was momentarily concerned that he would incur a penalty stroke for the blunder. But according to a 2019 USGA rule change, the double-hit is no longer penal.
“There is no penalty for accidentally hitting your ball twice during a stroke, just count one stroke and play the ball as it lies,” the rule reads.
Double hit to chip-in 😳
Co-leader @HidekiOfficial_ had an interesting short-game sequence on Nos. 15 and 16 @APInv. pic.twitter.com/rVPCh15kWn
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 7, 2024
“It wasn’t like a difficult lie or anything, just hit it in the air. I was like, Oh, shoot, it hit. I wasn’t sure if that was a penalty or not, but I asked the caddie, and he mentioned it’s not a penalty, so I was able to keep my game going,” Matsuyama said through an interpreter after the round.
Matsuyama missed the long-range par putt that resulted from his double-hit on 15 and walked away with bogey. But what happened next in Matsuyama’s round may have made the mistake a little bit less painful.
The Japanese pro proceeded to chip in for eagle on the 16th hole par-5 to take a share of the lead. Matsuyama finished at 5 under par to sit one shot behind leader Shane Lowry.
This week the 32-year-old is looking for a second PGA Tour victory of the season, following his triumph at the Genesis Invitational.
If he wins this week at Bay Hill, Matsuyama will have victories at tournaments hosted by Tiger Woods (2024 Genesis), Jack Nicklaus (2014 Memorial Tournament) and Arnold Palmer.