LIV Golf caddie knocked to floor after being hit in head by bottle launched by fan

Lucas Herbert was getting the crowd going at LIV Adelaide after making birdie at the par-three 12th, before his caddie was hit on the head by a bottle thrown by a spectator

Lucas Herbert’s caddie Nick Pugh was hit on the head and knocked to the ground by a bottle thrown by a fan at LIV Golf’s event in Adelaide on Saturday.

Herbert is one of a number of Australians in action on home soil with the breakaway league this week, and got the local atmosphere among his fellow Aussies going after making birdie at the par-three 12th party hole, dubbed the ‘Watering Hole’. The Smash GC star hit an impressive tee shot to within six-feet before rolling in for birdie.

In the aftermath of his holed putt, a whole host of bottles were thrown onto the putting surface, a tradition that has become popular on the 12th at The Grange following last year’s debut tournament.

Late in Saturday’s second round though one fan in particular overstepped the mark as a bottle hit Pugh, who was put to the ground whilst holding his head. The mood around the hole quickly dropped, with Herbert’s playing partner Branden Grace clearly unimpressed, sternly staring in the direction of where the bottle was thrown from.

Following the end of second round Herbert confirmed Pugh was thankfully OK after the incident. “I was worried about him to begin with, but he’s good now,” Herbert commented per the Sydney Morning Herald. “He’s good and he took it really well. He could have been a lot more upset with it, but he took it really well.”

Adding that he believes a minority of fans took things ‘too far’, he went on: “It’s probably difficult to request someone who has had 15 beers to aim a water bottle away from someone. That’s maybe asking too much. [Playing partner] ‘Gracey’ [Branden Grace] made a putt from the top tier and some drinks landed on the green.

“That’s good fun, and it’s in the right spots so we can deal with it. A few pushed it too far. But the crowd self policed and they got some boos when they were throwing things too close. That’s about as crazy as it needs to get.” The Watering Hole became synonymous with golf fans last April after Chase Koepka made an ace in the 2023 event.

Hundreds of drinks were thrown onto the tee and putting green, as Koepka celebrated in a sea of beer alongside his playing partner Ian Poulter. The tradition has continued into 2024, with players also walking onto the tee to a song of their choice in a bid to build the atmosphere in Adelaide.

The crowds at The Grange have been heavily praised this week, with thousands of Aussies descending on the Adelaide crowd for the 54-hole event. Unsurprisingly the biggest attraction has been former Open champion and Australian national Cam Smith, who has drawn in huge crowds across his opening two rounds.

Praising the crowd, but admitting it does come with added pressure, Smith said on Saturday: “Yeah, I think having support like we have this week is different to what we have 51 other weekends out of the year. It’s a very different feeling. I think the support is amazing.

“But there’s also a lot of pressure put on you, as well, to perform. I think not only us but probably every other Australian wants us to do well and wants us to win tomorrow. That’s a lot of weight on the shoulders as it is, but yeah, we’re ready for tomorrow.”