Fans went crazy when a woman appeared to grab Rory McIlroy’s ball at the US Open, but the USGA said she didn’t touch it. So did she or didn’t she?
The bizarre incident occurred on the par-4 fourth hole at Shinnecock Hills on Thursday after Rory McIlroy hit a shot “dead right” out of the fescue, as commentator Jim Mackay put it. The ball bounced high off of a cart path and came to rest in a short grass and dirt area.
As usual, fans began to gather around the ball, but one woman in particular appeared to do something that no true golf fan would ever do: she appeared to bend over and reach down with her left hand to pick up Rory McIlroy’s golf ball.
Spectators at the hole then let out a chorus of moans and screams of “NO!” as the camera cut away just as the female fan was about to grab the ball.
So did she pick up Rory McIlroy’s golf ball or didn’t she?
If the fan did pick up Rory McIlroy’s golf ball, it wouldn’t have been any kind of penalty. The only real damage it would have caused was leaving the woman extremely embarrassed. The rules state that he would have just replaced his ball where it had come to rest and continued his round.
Rule 9.6 of the Rules of Golf. It states: “If your ball is moved by an outside influence, such as an animal or a spectator, there is no penalty to anyone and the ball must be replaced.”
However, according to GOLF.com, which spoke to the USGA, that was never an issue. Despite it looking almost definitely like the women grabbed McIlroy’s ball, the USGA said she didn’t touch it.
“Right after McIlroy’s second shot on the 4th hole came to rest, it appeared on the broadcast that a fan was about to pick it up when the camera moved away,” the USGA told Golf.com in an email. “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.”