A notable ESPN anchor found herself in a scary situation while covering a recent golf tournament. Sage Steele smacked in the face by a tee shot by Jon Rahm to start the third hole at the PGA Championship. According to golf writer Geoff Shackelford, an eyewitness witnessed Steele “on the ground, holding her nose, mouth or chin area,” with her hands drenched “in blood.” According to the New York Post, Steele did manage to walk off the course under her own power.
“I was standing behind the tee when Rahm hit a hard hook into the left trees. He immediately yelled ‘Fore Left!’ and aggressively waved his arm pointing left,” Shackleford wrote. “The impact must have been brutal: Rahm’s tee shot ended up in the center of the fairway.” Steele was hospitalized after being struck by the ball. On Saturday, Steele released a statement that included an update on her health.
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“I just want to thank everyone for your concerns and prayers during the last couple of days,” Steele said in her statement. “From the doctors, nurses and EMTs at Saint Francis Hospital in Tulsa, to my doctor and dentist here in Connecticut, and my co-workers at ESPN, I am so grateful. With the help of my team, I hope to recover quickly for my three kids, and get back to work. Looking forward to seeing everyone again soon.” It was reported the shot by Rahm traveled 281 yards at 181 mph. Stelle was covering the major at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma for ESPN’s SportsCenter and was done for the day before the incident.
Steele, 49, joined ESPN in 2007 and served as a regular anchor for SportsCenter until 2013. She has also contributed to First Take and Mike & Mike and has been a guest co-host of ESPN2’s Sports Nation. Steele has also hosted ABC and ESPN’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve during the inaugural College Football Playoff and the Scripps National Spelling Bee from 2010 to 2013. In February 2021, Steele became a co-anchor of the noon SportsCenter with Matt Barrie.
Before joining ESPN, Steele co-hosted ABC’s telecast of the Miss America pageant and was a featured guest host on The View. She began her TV career at WSBT-TV in South Bend, Indiana from 1995 to 1997 and then moved up the ranks, covering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for WFTS-TV and the Baltimore Ravens for Comcast SportsNet.
