Rory McIlroy has started strongly at the U.S. Open. However, in the first round, drama unfolded, and it had little to do with the Irishman and more to do with a female spectator.

McIlroy drove his tee shot wide, and it landed close to the spectators. Fortunately, it got onto the grass, and the Irishman still had a good opportunity to shoot a low score. That’s when things went wrong. 

“Dead right!” exclaimed commentator Jim “Bones” Mackay on the U.S. Open broadcast.

McIlroy’s shot from some rough went hard right. It bounced high on the cart path and landed almost between two fans on an area of short brown grass and dirt, right by the path.

Shockingly, one of the fans, a female spectator, walked straight towards the ball and picked it up without any hesitation.

“Noooo!” the crowd let out a collective gasp.

A sea of fans surrounded the lady, and that’s the last update we have on the situation. There was no further follow-up on the possible handling by the broadcast crew. However, the rules are clear. 

According to Rule 9.6 of the Rules of Golf, “If your ball is moved by an outside influence, such as an animal or a spectator, there is no penalty to anyone and the ball must be replaced.” 

This is not the first time the World No. 2’s ball has been picked up. At the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow in 2023, a fan grabbed his ball but then dropped it on the ground upon the arrival of course stewards.

Following the mishap at the Shinnecock Hills, McIlroy played his shot from the spot where his ball originally came to rest. 

The Irishman was able to pull off an impressive wedge shot and followed it up with an 18 ft putt to save par.

Fans on social media have been taken aback by the female spectator’s action. Let’s find out what they had to say. 

Fans react to the interruption caused by the female spectator

These kinds of incidents are not treated kindly by golf fans, who always do their best to uphold course rules and the spirit of the game. 

On NUCLR GOLF’s X post, fans flooded the comment section with their criticism of the situation.

“There will not be a day 1 controversy during the US open,” wrote a fan.

Rules for the crowd are clearly stated on on-course signage, tournament spectator codes of conduct, and event websites, but patrons still break them regularly. 

“This is why US Open setups always feel so intense, anything can happen,” commented another fan.

Meanwhile, one joked, "Golf fans saw it in slow motion before it even happened. You just knew everyone was about to yell “NO!” 😂"

The Shinnecock Hills has always been a course that has made a lot of headlines. McIlroy’s 4th hole fan mishap also becomes a part of that.

What are your thoughts on the female spectator picking up the ball? Share them in the comments.

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Written by

Avishek Sarkar

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason