The USGA has issued a clarification after a spectator appeared to pick up Rory McIlroy’s ball while it was in play at the U.S. Open.
McIlroy was playing the par-four fourth — his 13th hole of the day — at Shinnecock Hills, and he found himself in trouble off the tee, pulling his drive into the left rough. The six-time major champion caught a gnarly lie, and his second shot sprayed wide right, hitting a cart path before coming to rest on grass trampled down by spectators.
Audible gasps were heard on the broadcast as a woman appeared to kneel down to pick the ball up. The broadcast cut away before it was clear whether McIlroy’s ball had been disturbed, but viewers at home were left flabbergasted by her actions.
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The world No. 2 went about his business regardless, and he made a sensational up and down to save par when bogey or worse seemed inevitable.
And the USGA has since issued a statement clarifying what happened. “Right after McIlroy’s second shot on the fourth hole came to rest, it appeared on the broadcast that a fan was about to pick it up when the camera moved away,” it said in a statement to Golf.com.
“However, based on the testimony of fans and a review of the available video, his ball was not lifted. The fan stopped just before picking it up, and McIlroy played the ball as it lay.”
McIlroy made an impressive start to his challenge at Shinnecock. His round was highlighted by a sensational eagle the hole after the fan incident.
But he was forced to settle for a one-under-par 69 after finishing with consecutive bogeys, leaving him in a tie for eighth place at the end of the first round, trailing leader Wyndham Clark by five shots.
The afternoon wave, including Clark and second-placed Dustin Johnson (-4), benefited from the unforecast benign conditions in Long Island, making hay in the sunshine while the wind was down.
It was a different scene for McIlroy in the morning, with wind and rain causing problems, and he was very satisfied with his performance.
“I think with the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score,” he said. “It was a day to really just keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here.
“So I sort of went out with the mindset that pars were going to be good, and if you could pick up a couple of birdies here and there, that’s always a bonus. But really just minimizing the mistakes. I did that for the most part today.
“It’s so tough. It’s so difficult. I didn’t feel like I hit two bad iron shots on the last two holes and put myself in pretty difficult spots and wasn’t able to get it up-and-down, but overall a really good day.”