WATCH Hideki Matsuyama double hit his chip shot, bounces back for eagle

A double-hit in golf is no longer a penalty under the Rules of Golf, but it’s still disastrous to anyone, let alone a pro golfer.

Included in the bucket of nightmare golf fuel for the weekend golfer is, among other things, the disastrous double-hit. But it’s not quite as bad as it once used to be with the 2019 changes to the Rules of Golf meaning it no longer carries with it a penalty shot.

Nonetheless, it’s still a disturbing shot to hit for the amateur golfer, let alone for the professional golfer.

That’s exactly what happened to Hideki Matsuyama today during his opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.

Matsuyama found his ball in the heavy rough around the 15th green (as is so often the case in American golf) and his chip shot saw the ball hit not once, but twice as it bobbled out onto the green.

Interestingly, Matsuyama didn’t let it get to him as he chipped in for an eagle on the next hole, albeit from a much tighter lie.

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