Jordan Smith arrived at The Renaissance Club with plenty of momentum this season. The Englishman fired a tournament-best 63 on Friday to sit tied for the lead heading into Saturday’s third round. However, on the moving day, the 33-year-old golfer faced an unusual enemy at the links course: a pot bunker. And almost injured himself while trying to get himself out of it.
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Smith’s final group pairing with Tom Kim was delayed by fog at the Genesis Scottish Open, and the two eventually teed off at 6:15 p.m. local time to close out moving day. The Englishman started his round with a routine par on the first hole. Nothing eventful, just a clean start to build on his overnight lead. Smith found the bunker off the tee on the par-4 second.
His tee shot landed in the pot bunker, and he tried to recover from it. However, it didn’t do him any favors. He hit it out with plenty of pace, but it ricocheted off the bunker lip, almost hitting his head. Fortunately, Smith ducked and avoided being struck by the ball. The ball whizzed past close enough to draw gasps from the audience before it settled well short of the hole. The DP World Tour shared the official clip on their account as the commentators warned Smith to watch his head. It was a really close call.
Despite that, to his credit, Smith did not let the scare rattle him into further disaster. His fourth shot from close range checked up beautifully, tracking to within a few feet of the flag on the right side of the green. He converted from close range, but damage from the two visits to the same bunker was already done. He ended up carding a bogey five on the par-four second, dropping a shot after a hot start to the weekend.
The rest of Smith’s round has been a mixed bag. He bounced back nicely, picking up a birdie on the par-3 fifth hole and adding another on the par-5 seventh. Through seven holes of round three, Smith sits at one under for the day and 10 under for the tournament, tied for third. The bunker mishap on the second was a blemish, and he has moved quickly past it.
Pot bunkers are a defining feature of links courses. And the Renaissance Club is known for its notorious pot bunkers. But sand trap trouble is nothing new for pros. Just a few months ago, Bryson DeChambeau tumbled while hitting a shot from the bunker. He actually tipped over and fell on the bunker right in front of the one he was standing on.
Then recently Michael Thorbjornsen also fell on his back after trying to hit out of an awkward lie. But none face a serious threat like Smith. That said, Smith’s 2026 has been building towards a good performance at the Genesis Scottish Open. His best finish of the year came at the Valspar Championship, where he finished solo third during the Florida swing. From there, he has steadily worked his way into more contention as the summer major season has unfolded.