One of the essential golden rules of golf is that, as a spectator, you don’t distract golfers while they’re on the green. You keep your voice down and let them stay focused while they do their thing.
Someone did not pass along this memo to a fan during the BMW Championship on Saturday. Before Rory McIlroy prepared to putt on the 15th hole, a fan brought out a remote-control ball and guided it onto the green.
Needless to say, even as the fan professed that this was his “dream” to McIlroy, the golfer was not pleased with the significant intrusion. McIlroy was so annoyed he tried to swat at the remote-control ball with his putter before eventually tossing it into the water on the other side of the hole:
A fan was moving a remote-control ball on the green during play…
Rory was NOT having it 👀pic.twitter.com/wG1TuixJFI
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) August 20, 2022
For the record, McIlroy’s pairing partner, Scott Stallings, fully supported the move, too:
In full support of this 👏👏👏 @McIlroyRory https://t.co/LTGqOJAQvU
— Scott Stallings (@stallingsgolf) August 20, 2022
After McIlroy got rid of the ball, a police officer came and escorted the fan away from the action. If it was indeed his dream to interrupt a McIllroy putt — I hope it was worth it.