Fan struck by Travis Kelce’s golf ball speaks out on her ordeal as she recalls trying not to black out: ‘There was a lot of blood’
A fan who was hit by Travis Kelce’s golf ball during a celebrity golf tournament this month was left bloodied and admitted she nearly passed out after talking about the incident.
Katie Hauss, 37, was enjoying a day at the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe with her husband when she was hit in the head by a shot from Kelce. She was “bloodied a lot” and required medical attention.
Footage shows the three-time Super Bowl winner comforting her as she receives treatment on the court, before being able to get up and leave the court with staff.
And in an interview with PEOPLEHauss opens up about her ordeal and how that day at Lake Tahoe unfolded.
“When I put my hand on the back of my head, I saw a lot of blood,” she said. ‘When I got hit, I felt pain straight away. I was just trying to concentrate so I wouldn’t pass out, and at that point I didn’t really know what had happened.
A fan of Travis Kelce who hit his ball during a celebrity golf tournament has spoken out
“Then I heard people screaming and yelling that it was Travis Kelce’s surge, and ‘Oh my god, that girl just got hit in the head.’
‘I tried to stay really calm and told my husband I thought I was fine, it just hurt really bad. When I put my hand on my head there was a lot of blood. I knelt down to try to get my bearings and then a good Samaritan came over – he must have been a doctor or a paramedic – and he immediately put pressure on the wound on my head.
“He told me to stay quiet and that they would call the emergency services. I am so grateful to that man for helping me, a complete stranger, and I wish I could thank him for his kindness.”
Hauss says Travis and his brother Jason immediately walked to the green after she was hit in the head. Jason was said to have been “genuinely concerned” and asked her several times if she was OK.
Travis then reportedly joked that the least he could do was take a photo with the onlooker, which shows the two posing together after their unfortunate encounter.
Hauss added: “Travis said he couldn’t bring himself to laugh under the circumstances. I felt really bad for him because I know it was a total accident, and that can’t feel good to do that with a big crowd watching.”
Kelce accidentally hits a spectator during the 2024 American Century Championship
After the fan was left with “a lot of blood,” Travis and his brother Jason reportedly checked on her
After medical authorities advised her to go to the hospital to make sure she did not have a fracture or internal bleeding, Hauss did so, until tests revealed she had a concussion and required stitches.
More than a week after the incident, she is on the mend and already feeling ‘much better’.
Kelce was on the 16th hole at Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course when his drive hit Hauss in the back of the head. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end was one of several notable figures participating in the celebrity tournament that week.
Incredibly, Travis gave Jason some prescient advice before he performed during an episode of their New Heights podcast.
“This is my first time going to Lake Tahoe. Any advice?” Jason asked his brother.
“My advice would be don’t feel guilty if you hit someone just because they bought the ticket,” Travis joked.
“They’re a bunch of amateurs trying to play golf, so don’t feel bad,” Travis continued. “People have been hit before. They’ve got first aiders, whatever it’s called, they’ve been to every hole. Everybody’s going to be okay.”