TikTok Influencer to Be Charged After Hitting Golf Ball Into Grand Canyon

Influencer Katie Sigmond is awaiting charges after hitting a golf ball into the Grand Canyon.

On Oct. 28, the Grand Canyon National Park Law Enforcement released a statement after a woman posted a video on social media of herself hitting a golf ball into the Grand Canyon. In the video, the young woman hits a shot over the cliffs, causing her club to snap in half and drop into the canyon as well.

She’s now potentially facing legal consequences for her actions.

“Charges and a court appearance for the individual are pending,” the Grand Canyon National Park wrote on its Facebook page. “Throwing objects over the rim of the canyon is not only illegal but can also endanger hikers and wildlife who may be below.”

While law enforcement did not name the perpetrator, the Grand Canyon public affairs office confirmed to Sports Illustrated that the suspect is 19-year-old influencer Katie Sigmond, who is awaiting an appearance in the U.S. District Court of Flagstaff, Ariz. According to the Department of Justice’s Criminal Resource Manual, violations of national park regulations may result in penalties ranging from a $100 fine to three months of imprisonment.

The clip has since been removed from Sigmond’s social media accounts, but Reddit users preserved a screen recording of the original post.

Sigmond has almost seven million TikTok followers and three million Instagram followers, and she intermittently posts photos and videos of herself at the golf course. She has collaborated with the popular YouTube group Nelk, which is known to perform outlandish stunts in public, including golf-related pranks. 


Published
Gabrielle Herzig
GABRIELLE HERZIG

Gabrielle Herzig is a Breaking and Trending News writer for Sports Illustrated Golf. Previously, she worked as a Golf Digest Contributing Editor, an NBC Sports Digital Editorial Intern, and a Production Runner for FOX Sports at the site of the 2018 U.S. Open. Gabrielle graduated as a Politics Major from Pomona College in Claremont, California, where she was a four-year member and senior-year captain of the Pomona-Pitzer women’s golf team. In her junior year, Gabrielle studied abroad in Scotland for three months, where she explored the Home of Golf by joining the Edinburgh University Golf Club.