Rory McIlroy taking a fan’s phone. (Image: X (@gabinus_ganix))
found himself in an odd confrontation during the Players Championship on Wednesday, as he seemingly confiscated a spectator’s mobile phone following his tee shot. The incident, which quickly made rounds on social media, captured McIlroy executing his tee shot and then approaching a cluster of spectators to his left. The celebrated golfer is heard demanding, “can I see your phone?” before seizing it from the astonished fan’s grasp and striding away.
The bewildered fan remained motionless, hand outstretched, while a friend watched in disbelief. McIlroy, after fiddling with the device for a moment, seemed to take the phone with him down the fairway. Online speculation hinted that the fan might have taunted McIlroy about his errant tee shot, which was said to have landed in the water. Following this, McIlroy’s subsequent tee shot landed on the fairway, just before the peculiar episode unfolded.
An eyewitness at the tournament claimed the heckler had jeered “just like 2011 at Augusta” in response to McIlroy’s initial tee shot—a jab at his notorious meltdown at the 2011 Masters where he squandered a substantial lead on the final day, missing out on the coveted green jacket.
McIlroy faced unprecedented turmoil during his final round at Augusta, where he led the pack up until Sunday with a four-shot advantage over Jason Day. The day unravelled for him in catastrophic fashion: a spate of bogeys and uncharacteristic putting mishaps culminated in a wayward tee shot on the 13th straight into the water, dramatically diminishing his chances.
Since that fateful day, Augusta has become an ominous hurdle for McIlroy, casting a shadow over his career filled with persistent queries about if and when he will triumph in Georgia. Yet, 2025 kicked off auspiciously for McIlroy with a victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro/Am in February.
Rory McIlroy taking a fan’s phone out of their hand. (Image: X (@gabinus_ganix))
Despite somewhat faltering at the Genesis Invitational and the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy’s campaign is unmistakably aligned towards Augusta once more.
The Northern Irishman is attempting to mitigate the pressure associated with clinching the career grand slam, but undeniably the spotlight will be intense as he ventures to Augusta next month. McIlroy has been forthright about his plans to head down to Augusta National for preliminary practice before the Masters commences.
Rory McIlroy going over to speak with the spectator. (Image: X (@gabinus_ganix))
Speaking at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy expressed confidence in his present form, remarking, “I’d say even the two finishes post-Pebble [Genesis and Arnold Palmer] have been almost like the worst that they could be. I finished bad on Sunday at Bay Hill. I finished bad on Sunday at Torrey Pines, as well.
“But the one thing I would say is the turnaround in my putting from Torrey to Bay Hill was great. I finished, I think, fifth [actually seventh] in putting last week, so to see that turn around was really encouraging. That’s something for me to be really encouraged about going into this week, obviously, and then the next few months.”
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