Fan hit by Travis Kelce’s golf ball describes incident: “There was a lot of blood”

Katie Hauss, a fan attending the American Century Championship, was hit in the head by a golf ball hit by Travis Kelce.

The incident occurred on Friday, July 12, as she was enjoying the event with her husband Ryan Griffiths.

“When I got hit, I immediately felt pain,” Hauss, 37, told PEOPLE exclusively. “I was just trying to focus on not passing out, and at that point I didn’t really know what had happened.”

Describing the shock and confusion, Hauss recalled, “Then I heard people start screaming and yelling that it was Travis Kelce’s golf shot.”

Despite the pain, Hauss tried to stay calm and told her husband that she was fine. However, when she touched the back of her head, she found “a lot of blood.”

A Good Samaritan, possibly a doctor or first responder, quickly applied pressure to the wound and called emergency responders. “I’m just so grateful to this man for helping me, a complete stranger,” Hauss said.

The ball that hit Hauss was hit by Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who was at the event with his brother Jason. The couple had traveled to Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course to watch the celebrity golfers.

“I go to the tournament every year. We always look forward to being part of celebrity golf,” said Hauss.

Kelce and his brother immediately contacted Hauss after the incident. “Travis must have come down while I was still on the ground,” she recalled.

He asked if she was OK and suggested that they take a photo together, despite feeling guilty about the accident. Jason Kelce was also “genuinely concerned” and checked on her several times.

When paramedics arrived, they found Hauss’ head was split open. She was taken to the hospital, where she was diagnosed with a concussion and the wound was stitched up.

Reflecting on the incident a week later, Hauss, a professional rider, said: “This week was a little tricky, but today I feel much better and I am on the road to recovery!”

Hauss also mentioned a joke from the New Heights podcast before the tournament in which Travis said, “Don’t feel bad if you beat someone because they bought the ticket.”

She noted, “I’m sure they never thought that anyone would actually get hurt when they said those things.”