Odd Incident at Scottish Open Puzzles Rory McIlroy

A spectator was escorted from the course at the Scottish Open on Friday after taking a club from Rory McIlroy's bag. The bizarre incident took place on the 10th tee, where McIlroy was waiting to get his second round underway at the Renaissance Club in North Berwick. Widely shared footage on social media showed a man nonchalantly walk on to the tee, take the head cover off McIlroy's driver, and then grab an iron from the bag. McIlroy, a four-time major winner, was seen looking on in a puzzled manner (the AP uses the word "bemusement"). The man, who can be seen gripping the club for about a minute as if he were preparing to swing, was eventually removed from the area by a security guard after handing the club to McIlroy's caddie, Harry Diamond. No one was hurt in the incident.

• A statement: "At approximately 8am on Friday ... a spectator entered the 10th tee area,” is how the European Tour puts it. "He was quickly escorted from the tee by security personnel and the matter is in the hands of Police Scotland."
• A dig: US Open champion Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas, Nos. 1 and 3 in the world, respectively, were also on the tee as playing partners of McIlroy. David Wilson, a member of nearby club Kilspindie who posted the footage, said in the Scotsman newspaper that "the players laughed it off, saying they knew he wasn't a golfer when they saw his grip."

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