Jason Day was involved in a medical drama during today’s US Open practice round at Oakmont Country Club.
Day was preparing to play a bunker shot on the par-three sixth hole when he heard a nasty noise as playing companion Chris Crawford’s caddie walked around the steep face behind him.
Day soon called for medical help and, fortunately, on hand was long-time Pittsburgh Steelers doctor Jim Bradley, also a member of Oakmont.
Bradley headed the first-aid assessment and the caddie, Bill Henaghan, was sent to a nearby hospital with a “clean break” of his left ankle.
“It was unbelievable,” Day said of the drama that unfolded around him.
“He was walking around the bunker pretty quick to get out of my way, I think, and he fell down a little bit and I hear this “snap” and I thought that sounded weird,” Day said.
“I turned around and he said, `Jason, I’ve just snapped my ankle’. I said, `What?’ and he said it again, `I’ve snapped my ankle. I’m OK, so you go ahead’. He was actually asking me to hit.
“I was, `Mate, I’m not going to hit, I’m going to try to get a medic over here’. He asked me if I could call my wife over, so we called her and the medic and then he was taken care of.”
Day was one of a couple of people on hand who tried to lift him out of the sand after the initial diagnosis and had begun to lift him when others came to complete the task.
“Poor fella, I feel so sorry for him,” Day said.
“He was probably so jacked to caddie at the US Open, especially at Oakmont, and then to have it done on hole six of a practice round two days before it all starts, that’s pretty devastating.”