Rory McIlroy looks on in bemusement as spectator takes a club from his bag at the Scottish Open

Rory McIlroy looks on in utter bemusement as spectator grabs a club from his bag then takes a few practice swings on the 10th tee in bizarre scenes at the Scottish Open

  • Footage on social media showed a man take one of Rory McIlory’s clubs 
  • McIlroy was waiting to play his tee shot on the 10th hole at the Renaissance Club
  • The spectator was quickly dealt with by security staff after the incident  
  • Players laughed it off, saying they knew by his grip that he wasn’t a golfer 


Rory McIlroy‘s second round of the Scottish Open got off to a bizarre start on Friday morning after a spectator took a club from the four-time major winner’s bag on the 10th tee.

McIlroy, 32, was waiting to get his round under way at 8am at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick alongside recently-crowned US Open champion Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas. 

But while McIlroy and Rahm appeared to be in conversation, footage on social media showed a man walk on to the tee and take the distinctive dog head cover off McIlroy’s driver. 

A spectator casually walked on the the 10th tee and removed Rory McIlory’s dog headcover

The spectator then took the club and swung it a few times before being led away by security

The spectator then took the club and swung it a few times before being led away by security 

McIlory looked on in disbelief as the man took his club and then practised with it

McIlory looked on in disbelief as the man took his club and then practised with it

He then went back for more and grabbed an iron from McIlroy’s bag as the former world No 1 looked on in apparent bemusement. 

The man was eventually escorted off the tee by a security guard after handing the club to McIlroy’s caddie Harry Diamond.

An onlooker told The Scotsman: ‘He was standing at the back of the tee and went over to Rory’s bag, took out the driver and had a couple of swings with it.

‘When someone told him that he couldn’t do that, he replied by saying “why not?”

‘At that point, the security people assigned to following the group moved in and took him away.’

David Wilson, a member of nearby club Kilspindie who posted the footage, added: ‘He was quickly dealt with. The players laughed it off, saying they knew he wasn’t a golfer when they saw his grip.’