Colin Montgomerie broke a club in the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth today - not in anger, but with a brilliant shot that had fans shaking their heads in disbelief.
While Ian Woosnam and South African Trevor Immelman moved alongside overnight leader Darren Clarke at six under par, Montgomerie resumed on three under and badly hooked his opening drive.
The ball just carried through a bush and finished a foot behind a tree. Any amateur golfer seeing the position would automatically have just chipped back onto the fairway, fearing both damage to the club and injury to himself.
But Montgomerie, trying for a fourth victory in the event in five years, was having none of it and made a decision that brought back memories of Sergio Garcia from the base of a tree in the 1999 US PGA championship.
He turned to caddie Andy Prodger - the man he is getting rid of after this week - and said: "How much do shafts cost?"
That had the crowd laughing, but then the Scot told them: "Seriously now, stand well back and watch the club, not the ball on this one. It could go anywhere".
After deliberating between a three-iron and a five-wood, knowing whichever one he went for would be broken a few seconds later, he chose the latter and, sure enough, the head came off and went flying some 50 yards as he played the daring shot.
Then the fans looked to see where the ball went - and the answer was over 200 yards just short of the green.
"Let's get one thing clear here - I didn't do that in anger," he said as he walked down the fairway with a smile on his face, relieved that both the shot came off and he had not hurt himself.
Before chipping and putting to save par, Montgomerie called for a referee, who happened to be Royal and Ancient Club rules chief David Rickman. He took the shaft and club-head off either for repair or to be replaced.
The Ryder Cup star was obviously keen to have it back as quickly as possible, but in the meantime played on with only 13 clubs in his bag.