Nick Hardy. PGA Tour Twitter

Nick Hardy snapped his 9-iron around a tree — with a stunning result —during the first round of the 3M Open on Thursday, but before that, he also tasted how luck — good and bad — plays its part in the tricksy game of golf.

Early during Hardy’s opening round, was fortunate to he was the fortunate beneficiary of an amazing horseshoe-and-in putt. Check it out:

But the breaks can be just as wicked on the greens and not long after that moment of luck, the tables were turned when a dead-centre putt was rejected and lipped out in the nastiest of fashions:

Hardy took it all with a smile, and was still smiling when he trotted towards his final hole for birdie, mangled 9-iron in hand.