A fan was ejected from the Scottish Open on Friday morning after removing a club from Rory McIlroy‘s bag.
The spectator walked up to McIlroy on the 10th tee at the European Tour event, at The Renaissance Club in North Berwick, before removing a club from the Northern Irishman’s bag.
McIlroy and his caddie looked on in confusion at the spectator, who was taken away by security soon after.
“I was surprised. Everyone saw what happened on TV,” McIlroy said when asked about the incident. “It was handled efficiently and everything was OK. I had no idea who it was.”
“Me and Rory didn’t say anything,” added Jon Rahm, who set the early clubhouse target with a 65 to go 11-under overall on day two. “He was holding a 6-iron and I didn’t want to get hurt.
“It didn’t put anyone off. If anything, it put a smile on our faces. It will be a pretty good story to tell in the future.”
A spokesperson for Police Scotland says a 35-year-old man has been taken to a hospital in Edinburgh and that an investigation continues.
This is crazy, man just walks up and lifts club and headvover off Rory on tee box. Taken away by security straight away 🤷♂️ #RoryMcIlroy pic.twitter.com/nWDgxlqVJ6
— Irish Golfer Magazine (@IrishGolferMag) July 9, 2021
McIlroy carded a 70 in the opening round of the tournament to sit 6 shots back from overnight leader Jack Senior of England.
The four-time major winner will play in the 149th Open at Royal St. George’s, which begins Thursday, with organizers planning to admit 32,000 spectators per day. Last year’s Open was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
