Katie Hauss was enjoying a day at the American Century Championship golf tournament with her husband, Ryan Griffiths, on Friday, July 12.
Among the celebrities they were excited to see was Kansas City Chiefs tight end, Travis Kelce.
However, the day took an unexpected turn when Hauss felt a sudden, sharp pain at the back of her head.
“When I got hit, I immediately felt pain,” Hauss, 37, recounted to PEOPLE. “I was just trying to focus on not blacking out, and at that point, I didn’t really know what had happened. I then heard people start yelling and screaming that it was Travis Kelce’s golf shot, and ‘Oh my god, that girl just got hit in the head.'”
Despite the shock and pain, Hauss tried to remain calm. “I told my husband that I thought I was okay, it just hurt really bad,” she continued. “But when I put my hand to my head, there was a lot of blood. I knelt down to try and get my bearings, and then a Good Samaritan — he must have been a doctor or a first responder of some sort — came over and immediately applied pressure to the wound on my head. He told me to stay still and that they were calling for the EMTs. I am just so appreciative of that man for helping me, a complete stranger, and I wish I could thank him for his kindness.”
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Hauss had indeed been struck by a golf ball driven by Travis Kelce, who, along with his brother Jason, was one of the golfers Hauss and Griffiths had come to see at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course.
“I go up every year for the tournament. Celebrity golf is something we always look forward to attending, and it is one of our favorite weeks of the year,” Hauss said of the annual event.
Upon realizing what had happened, both Kelce brothers rushed over to check on her.
“Travis must have walked down as I was still on the ground,” Hauss recalled. “I just remember seeing him come up, and then I don’t remember exactly what he said, but he asked if I was okay. I could tell that he felt really badly. He joked that the least he could do was take a photo with me, so I stood up and joked back that at least the front of me looked okay and wasn’t bleeding if we were going to take a photo. Travis said that he couldn’t bring himself to smile given the circumstances. I honestly felt bad for him because I know that it was a total accident, and that can’t feel good to do that with a huge crowd looking on.”
Jason Kelce was equally concerned, asking her multiple times if she was okay.
EMTs quickly arrived and found that Hauss had a split head. They recommended she go to the hospital to check for fractures or internal bleeding. At the ER, doctors confirmed she had a concussion and required a few stitches in her head.
Throughout the ordeal, Hauss clung to a cup of water, using it to wash the blood off her arms and legs.
More than a week after the injury, Hauss, a professional horseback rider, is on the mend.
“This week was a bit touch and go, but as of today I’m feeling much better and on the mend!” Hauss told PEOPLE. “I ride horses professionally for work, so putting a helmet on earlier this week was a bit difficult, but I managed. The doctor had wanted to originally give me staples, but I negotiated for some dissolving stitches and glue given the nature of my work.”
Reflecting on a podcast the Kelce brothers made before the tournament, where Travis joked, “Don’t feel bad if you hit somebody because they bought the ticket,” Hauss commented, “I’m sure they never imagined that someone would actually get hurt when they said those things. I still can’t believe it happened, to be honest!”
Despite the incident, Hauss remains optimistic and is grateful for the quick assistance she received, allowing her to recover and look forward to next year’s tournament with hopefully fewer unexpected surprises.
