Rory McIlroy lost his temper as he threw a fan’s remote control golf ball into water after he was distracted from putting during the BMW Championship.
The 33-year-old was competing in the third round of the BMW Championship when the rogue incident occurred. McIlroy proved the pressure is cranking up as golfers compete in the second tournament of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
On the par-three 15th hole, McIlroy was lining up his putt on the green when a fan from the crowd tossed a remote-controlled golf ball onto the course. The Northern Irishman stared the fan down in disbelief as the prank ball began to move around the green near the hole.
McIlroy was able to stop the ball with his putter as it danced around the golfer’s attempts to poke it. Finally, a frustrated McIlroy picked the ball up and threw it into the nearby pond.
His reaction was met by both cheers and boos, and cameras panned to show a man next to the green shouting at McIlroy. It appeared to be the fan who owned the ball, with caddies and security guards quickly leading the fan away.
McIlroy missed his birdie putt at that hole, but finished with a 70 for the round and was only five shots behind tournament leader Patrick Cantlay. The four-time major winner ultimately slipped to finish six-under, seven shots behind Cantlay as the American won the event.
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The Northern Irishman has been a significant voice in favour of the PGA Tour amid the sport’s civil war against LIV Golf, which is bankrolled by the Saudi Arabian regime. Several of the world’s most prominent players have decided to switch to LIV Golf, including the likes of Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson.
McIlroy was present along with several other leading Tour members during their players-only meeting with Tiger Woods in Delaware earlier this week. Among other topics, the Tour has reportedly created a plan in which they could hold 18 no-cut tournaments of 60 players with a prize pot of approximately £17 million.
Former Europe Ryder Cup captain Henrik Stenson won the third event - which took place in Bedminster - to earn a £3.37m payout. The prize money was substantially more than the £2.08m awarded to Cameron Smith for securing the coveted Open title last month.
