Play was suspended during the third round of the PGA Tour's Valspar Championship on March 21, 2026, at the Copperhead Course of Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida, after a golf cart struck a young girl among spectators near the par-3 15th hole.[1]
Brooks Koepka, an American five-time major champion who recently returned to the PGA Tour following a stint with LIV Golf, was playing the hole and ran to assist the girl, who ended up underneath the cart.[2]
NBC Sports broadcaster Dan Hicks reported the girl was under the cart but did not suffer serious injury. Walking reporter Smylie Kaufman added on air, "She’s going to be OK after medical evaluation. Very scary moment."[3]
After his round, in which Koepka finished the third day tied for 13th at 5-under par, he commented on the incident: "I just felt terrible for, I believe her name is Shay, so from all the reports you’ve got she’s OK, thankfully. So, that’s all that matters, as long as she’s OK."[2] Koepka said the girl seemed scared but no serious harm occurred, and the moment did not affect his play.
The Valspar Championship is a PGA Tour stroke-play event held annually in March at the 7,352-yard, par-71 Copperhead Course.[1] The final round was scheduled for March 22, 2026.
Koepka, winner of the PGA Championship in 2018, 2019 and 2023, and the U.S. Open in 2017 and 2018, joined LIV Golf in June 2022 before reaching an agreement to return to PGA Tour events.[4] His attorney cited family time and reduced international travel as factors in leaving LIV Golf.[5] In four starts this season, Koepka has one top-10 finish and two top-25 results, making three cuts.
Sources
- PGA Tour, "Valspar Championship", accessed October 2024, https://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/valspar-championship/
- Golf.com, "Valspar Championship coverage", March 2026, https://golf.com/
- NBC Sports Golf, "Valspar Championship broadcast", March 2026, https://www.nbcsports.com/golf
- Wikipedia, "Brooks Koepka", accessed October 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brooks_Koepka
- Fox News, "Sports coverage", recent, https://www.foxnews.com/sports
