Talk about dramatic drive-bys! Travis Kelce must've been channeling his inner NFL arm cannon at last week's celebrity golf bash in Lake Tahoe, because not one but TWO of his tee shots ended up beaning unfortunate spectators.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end and celebrity golfer Travis Kelce sent golf balls straying during his appearance at the 35th annual American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe this past weekend. However, it was how Kelce reacted to accidentally striking fans that won praise.
Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images
While playing in Friday's event, Kelce's drive flew off course and hit a woman spectator in the back of the head. Footage from the scene showed the fan sitting on the ground while a man applied a cloth to her head, which appeared to be bleeding. Paramedics soon arrived to check on the woman.
Katie Griffiths received medical attention after being hit in the back of the head by golf ball hit by the Chiefs’ Travis Kelce.
Rather than hurry off, Kelce immediately went over to ensure the fan's well-being. "The least I can do is take a picture," Kelce said as he put his arm around the woman and smiled for a photo. As he left, Kelce warned spectators to keep their distance for safety. “Alright guys, I’m going to say you should probably move out of the way.”
Later in the round, another wayward shot from Kelce found a male fan in the crowd. The NFL star rushed over to apologize. "Sorry about that dude," Kelce told the fan as he extended his hand. Showing his playful side, Kelce then surprised the man by planting a kiss on his shoulder, earning laughs.
Travis Kelce kisses the arm of a fan who was drilled with his errant approach shot on the first hole of the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. pic.twitter.com/NVtAyzVziA
— Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman) July 12, 2024
The following day, Kelce's tee shot went astray again but he avoided injuring anyone. He maintained his sense of humor about the situation, quipping "Oh no" after his drive. A fan yelling encouragement about Kelce's girlfriend Taylor Swift helped lift his spirits. "You still got Taylor [Swift],” a fan yelled to Kelce.
Travis Kelce reacts to someone shouting, “It’s alright, you’ve still got Taylor!” after his bad golf shot. pic.twitter.com/PRIa3bdJT9
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 15, 2024
While the incidents could have gone much worse, Kelce's gracious reactions in checking on fans and apologizing won praise on social media. His willingness to engage with spectators in a supportive way shows why he remains one of the NFL's most popular players.
In a recent episode of their podcast, Travis and Jason Kelce jokingly discussed what might happen if they struck a spectator with a golf ball during the upcoming celebrity tournament.
When Jason, playing in Lake Tahoe for the first time, asked Travis for advice "This is my first time out in Lake Tahoe, do you have any advice?", Travis - a past tournament champion - replied lightheartedly. He said Jason shouldn't feel bad if he hit someone since spectators know the risks of watching "My advice would be don't feel bad if you hit somebody because they bought the ticket."
Jason quickly agreed "I don't feel bad if I ever hit anybody." Travis elaborated that many amateur celebrity golfers are playing and accidents could happen. However, emergency services would be available at each hole to help anyone who might get struck by a ball. According to Travis, spectators would most likely be "fine."
"It's a bunch of amateurs out there trying to play golf so don't feel bad. People have been hit before. They got EMTs, whatever it's called, they got right there at every hole. Everybody will be fine."
Thankfully there were no major injuries from Kelce's wayward shots. But you can be sure those fans will have a lifetime of golf stories to tell! With skills like that, maybe it's best our Travis sticks to gridiron instead of the links. At least there he can peg receivers who are expecting it!
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