Pavit Tangkamolprasert has turned 2026 into the best season of his 19-year career. With two events left in the season, the Asian Tour Order of Merit title is within reach for the first time. But his steady run took an unexpected hit on Thursday at the Link Hong Kong Open when a wayward tee shot struck the Thai star in the leg.

The Asian Tour shared a clip of the incident on X, writing: “An unfortunate moment for Order of Merit leader Pavit! Struck by an errant tee shot but plays on through the pain!”

The incident occurred during the opening round at Hong Kong Golf Club in Fanling. The 65th edition of the tournament runs from October 22 to 25, with a $2 million prize purse at stake. As an International Series event, it also offers the winner invitations to the 2027 Masters and The Open Championship.

Tangkamolprasert began his round around midday local time alongside Miguel Tabuena and Richard Bland, with plenty at stake for the Order of Merit leader.

The trouble came early. Just three holes in, Tangkamolprasert was struck high on his left thigh by an errant shot hit by Australian Harrison Crowe from the first hole. According to the Asian Tour, the ball left a firm imprint but caused no serious damage. Even so, the impact appeared painful.

In the video, Tangkamolprasert can be seen lifting the leg of his dark shorts to inspect the spot on his thigh. Yet he continued to play with the shorts pulled up to expose the affected area, after his wife helped him treat the injury with ice.

Despite the pain, Tangkamolprasert carried on to finish with a 69, carding five birdies, two bogeys, and a double bogey. The round left him seven shots behind leaders Anirban Lahiri and Kevin Yuan, who both signed for 62s.

Before the round, Pavit had spoken about keeping things simple and trusting his form.

“If I can maintain my current form and get a little bit of luck, a top-10 finish would be a great result,” he said. “As for the race to finish as the Asian Tour’s number one, I’m sticking to the same approach I’ve used all year. Just because I’m currently leading the standings doesn’t mean I need to change anything.”

That approach has served him well throughout the season. He finished runner-up twice in his first three events before winning the Yeangder TPC in Chinese Taipei last month for his third Asian Tour title. The victory lifted him to the top of the Order of Merit for the first time, and he followed it with two consecutive tied-seventh finishes. Despite dealing with a slight fever earlier this week, he has continued to compete.

The chasing pack, however, remains close enough to keep the race interesting. Travis Smyth sits second in the Order of Merit standings, with Ian Snyman third and Hong Kong’s Taichi Kho chasing fourth place. As the Asian Tour notes, Tangkamolprasert needs to make the cut to successfully hold off his closest challengers this week.

For now, Pavit Tangkamolprasert’s focus will be on Friday’s second round, with the Philippine Open in two weeks set to close out the season.

The post Stray Ball Hits Pro Golfer Mid-Event as Unexpected Injury Disrupts Play appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.