HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. -- Kelly Kraft got a birdie, just not the one he wanted at the RBC Heritage.
Kraft's ball hit a bird in flight on the par-3 14th hole, and the ball dropped into the water in front of the green.
Kraft made double bogey and finished at 1-over par on Harbour Town Golf Links, missing the cut by a stroke.
Kraft told PGATour.com the bad break cost him the cut. He said his tee shot felt perfect and was on a good line until fate took over.
"It cost me the cut, most likely," Kraft told the website. "There was a helping wind, and I hit a 7-iron, caught it perfect. It was probably 30 yards off the tee box and this giant, black bird swooped in front of it and hit it and the ball fell 20 yards short in the water. It would've been in the middle of the green. It might have been close. I got screwed."
Kraft's group asked for a ruling, figuring the player would simply re-tee without penalty. Instead, because the bird is not a man-made object, Kraft had to play it as a ball in the water.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
