“Might be one of the greatest birdies in the history of golf”: Nick Hardy breaks the internet and his 9-iron with a spectacular shot

American golfer Nick Hardy performed one of the most spectacular plays of the first round of the 3M Open, breaking his 9-iron to make a birdie that placed him among the leaders of the tournament.

The play happened on the 18th hole (ninth), where Nick Hardy arrived with a score of -5. Hardy knew he was only one or two strokes behind the leaders, so he was trying to play his best game in the final part of the round. He was even coming off a birdie on the 17th hole (eighth).

To add drama to the moment, Nick Hardy's drive ended up in a wooded area to the right of the fairway. The ball was just behind a tree that was almost completely in the way of a straight line between the ball and the hole.

Despite this difficult situation, Hardy saw a chance to hit a shot straight to the green, even though the tree was in the way. The certainty that his club would end up unusable didn't stop him, in the eagerness to achieve a good result on the hole that would keep him among the contenders.

And as he thought, he did. Hardy opted for his 9-iron and executed his shot with such quality that the ball went straight onto the green and ended up less than 10 feet from the flag.

True, Nick Hardy's club was projected against the tree in such a way that it was rendered useless. But Hardy birdied the hole to finish with a score of -6 and looked pleased with the result, despite the loss of his 9-iron.

Fans' reactions to Nick Hardy's play

Nick Hardy's play quickly went viral on social media. Fans have reacted with much admiration to its spectacularity and the high quality of the American's execution.

Here are some of the reactions of fans on Twitter:

"This might be one of the greatest birdies in the history of golf."

"Club died a hero"

"What a shot!!"

"Took one for the team…."

"Just like I taught him! Atta boy Nicki!!"

"One of the best golf shots this year. Wow, well done sir"

"That takes stones knowing the club will not survive. Hella shot and mad respect!"

"Did that and left half my thumb on the tree. Not good."

"That's insanely good"

"Don't try this at home"

"If that was Scotty or Rory or Rahm, this would be considered a shot of the year candidate. Impresssive."

Nick Hardy, 27, is one of the young promises of the PGA Tour. He just obtained his official membership in 2022 and has already won his first tournament this season (Zurich Classic of New Orleans).

In the 3M Open, he is in T5, with the first round still to be completed.