Ja Rule's Errant Tee Shot Nearly Took Out CC Sabathia

CC Sabathia is a lucky man, 'cause it turns out the former MLB ace was just inches away from Ja Rule's historically bad tee shot at the Derek Jeter Invitational in the Bahamas on Tuesday!!

Videos of the errant swing were shared on social media by those in the line of fire ... and the 2009 World Series champion happened to be standing in the area.

In the clip, you see a man seemingly get drilled on the elbow by the shot, which resulted in a loud thud as the entire crowd collectively let out an "ooh."

Just seconds before letting it rip, the MC -- real name Jeffrey Atkins -- joked he had to block out the noise going on from those around him ... as folks were trolling the New York native as he did some practice swings.

Despite everyone getting a good laugh after the fact ... you can see he was clearly concerned for the man he drilled with his shot -- going to check on the person after realizing what he had done.

People are basically putting their lives on the line whenever they attend these celebrity golf outings. Just last month, Sophie Cunningham clocked someone during a tournament at the Pelican Club in Belleair, Florida.

The fan she hit had some fun with it ... falling to the ground after the ball came to rest -- which gave Caitlin Clark a good laugh.