Rory McIlroy might have endured a bad first day at the PGA Championship, but at least the world No.2 didn’t have any clubs taken from him. McIlroy, who teed off as the pre-tournament favourite at Quail Hollow, posted a disappointing round of 74, leaving him three over par and way off the lead.
Players did have to deal with an unusual disruption during the opening day. After the storms that plagued practice earlier in the week, a group of turtles emerged from the water hazards to take up residence in a bunker on the 14th. That delay, though, was nowhere near as bizarre as the one McIlroy had to deal with at the Scottish Open back in 2021.
The Northern Irishman was on the 10th tee during his second round at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, speaking with playing partners Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas. As they chatted, the trio seemed oblivious to a spectator wandering up close to them.
The fan then proceeded to grab a driver out of McIlroy’s bag and tried to take off the head cover before seemingly preparing to hit a shot. After initially seeming not to notice the brief theft, McIlroy produced a bemused look before security guards removed the intruder.
Police Scotland later released a statement confirming the man had been taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. However, no charges were brought against the man, and McIlroy later praised stewards for dealing with the strange disruption.
“You all saw it on TV,” he said in his post-round press conference. “I was surprised. But it was handled efficiently, and everything was ok. I had no idea who it was. Yes, there is a serious aspect to something like that. But it was handled well.”
Spaniard Rahm was more blunt in his assessment and attributed the behaviour to alcohol, saying: “Let me put it this way, you could smell the reason why he did what he did.
“He was clearly not sober. I’m going to say it was vodka. I’m no expert, but he had a long night for sure. He probably thought it was a fun idea. And, to be fair, it was quite funny.”
