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Woman hit on head learns dangers of celebrity golf

Scott Sonner / The Associated Press

STATELINE – Sally Capehart learned first-hand the dangers of attending a celebrity golf tournament. She was watching the tourney from about 10 yards left of the par-3, 17th green bordering Lake Tahoe on Sunday when the tee shot of Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub hit her square on top of her head.

“Are you serious?” Schaub said as he arrived at the green.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea I hit somebody,” he told the Gardnerville woman.



Schaub autographed a golf ball for Capehart, who clearly was in pain for several minutes.

She told paramedics she thought she was all right but had some ringing in her ears and took their advice to go the hospital as a precaution.



“It’s my first golf tournament,” she said, adding that she’d probably come back to another “if I don’t get hit in the head.”

Kathryn Zogorski, a friend from Gardnerville who invited Capehart to the 20th annual American Century Celebrity Golf Championship, examined the dent in her wide-brim mesh hat.

“I feel horrible,” she said. “She just started playing golf. She thought it was so fun, learning about everything going on.”

“I was watching the shot through my binoculars and I saw it and yelled ‘Watch out.’ I ducked and my husband ducked but she didn’t duck,” Zogorski said.

The 17th hole with the lake on one side and towering ponderosa pines on the other has seen its share of errant shots over the years. Charles Barkley has hit the scoreboard more than once, and actor Matthew Settle sliced his tee shot through the windshield of a boat anchored along the shore in 2006.

On Sunday, many of the fans were caught by surprise because their attention was focussed on an outdoor big screen TV carrying the British Open playoff between Tom Watson and Stewart Cink.

The good news for Schaub was the ball bounced off Capehart’s head onto the green.

“Thank you,” he told her as they shared a laugh after his repeated apologies. “I’m sorry we had to meet like this.”

Schaub managed to 2-putt from about 60 feet for a par then returned to have his picture taken with Capehart.

“Anything you want, you name it,” he said.

A fan reminded Schaub that Capehart deserved credit for helping him get the par and earn a point in the Modified Stableford scoring format.

“I appreciate that,” he told her as they both chuckled again.

Then, as paramedics were helping Capehart into a cart, former Yankees star Tino Martinez yelled “fore” as his tee shot headed the same direction. Capehart and the two paramedics hunkered down and covered their heads before one of them said to the other, “Let’s get out of here.”


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