You’d maybe half expect it on your local course when someone from the group behind gets a bit too eager and fires a ball onto the green while you’re still putting – but you wouldn’t expect it in the pros though!

Yet that’s exactly what Australian golfer Elvis Smylie had to deal with as he lined up a birdie putt at the NZ Open in Queenstown only to be struck on the foot by a stray ball.

It wasn’t like the ball came trickling onto the putting surface either, with maybe just the length slightly misjudged by the golfer behind who smacked a Sunday best miles further than he thought he was capable of.

No, Smylie had to jump out of the way when alerted to the ball flying towards him, and it bounced and smacked him on the foot as he took evasive action from the incoming missile.

Here it is. @ElvisSmylie cops a golf ball on the foot from the group behind. #NZOpenHe's all class though, went on to make the birdie putt. March 3, 2023

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The world No. 890 could have been forgiven for that bizarre experience totally putting him off his stride, but credit to him he regathered his thoughts and duly knocked in the birdie putt after all.

The left-hander went on to card a two-under round of 69 to end his second round on five under overall and sit T38 in the NZ Open.

Smylie was certainly not smiling when the stray ball came flying his way, but it all worked out in the end despite the remarkable scenes that we’re not used to seeing at all on the professional golf circuit.

The culprit has not been identified but there’s been some reaction on social media, with one Australian journalist saying “And people say golfers aren’t athletes” while another Tweeter wrote “His caddie should have thrown himself in front of his man”.

One thing's for sure, Smylie was looking over his shoulder a lot more on the greens at the NZ Open for the rest of his round.