Nick Hardy sacrifices 9-iron to make risky birdie at 3M Open

Nick Hardy hit one of the most astounding shots in recent memory toward the end of his first round at the 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities on Thursday.

It was also one of the riskiest.

With his drive having veered off course and coming to rest behind a thick tree at the 500-yard, par-4 ninth hole, his last hole of the day, Hardy had a tough decision to make. He had 184 yards to the green, much of it requiring a forced carry over water, and his follow through was destined to bring his 9-iron into a high-speed collision with the tree.

Hardy, who in April captured his first PGA TOUR title at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with partner Davis Riley, went for broke. Taking a full swing, he made pure contact and smashed the tree trunk with his follow-through, the shaft of the club bending grotesquely.

That was the bad news. The good news was the ball not only cleared the water, it cozied up to 11 1/2 feet from the pin. Fans laughed and clapped as Hardy held the mangled shaft up to his eye as if it might be incrementally off. The kicker to the story: He made the birdie putt.

“I had an angle to hit the shot,” said Hardy, whose 65 left him just one off the early lead. “I just had to hook a 9-iron with no follow-through, so that was a tough shot, that was the tough part about the shot. I was in between 8 and 9. An 8 would have taken me over the green probably but I knew I would have gotten (over the water) safely, but I took the risk hitting the 9 and it paid off.

“When I hit it, I knew it was going to be pretty good,” Hardy continued, “because I caught it perfect and I knew it felt like it was going to hook a little bit. I almost feel like I didn't even have to look after that because I was just worried about carrying the water. Once I hit it, I was like OK, it's going to be pretty good.”

It was better than that. Although his coach straightened out the 9-iron’s shaft after the round, Hardy said he was awaiting a replacement from Titleist.