Disappointing as that surely is, what will likely stick in McIlroy’s mind is what occurred as he stood on the 10th tee (his first of the day) alongside caddie Harry Diamond and playing partner Jon Rahm. As the trio chatted, a man appeared out of the gallery, grabbed the headcover off McIlroy’s driver and took one of his irons out of the bag. He then proceeded to make a couple of practice swings. All of which provoked a classic double-take from McIlroy and bemused looks from all concerned before a pair of security guards moved in to remove the intruder.

You touch Rory’s clubs like that you should be hit by a sniper instantly. Disappointing. https://t.co/BQwwkKy8En

— Riggs (@RiggsBarstool) July 9, 2021

The incident was recorded by at least a couple of spectators and soon went viral on Twitter. Local man, David Wilson, who posted a video of what happened, described the interloper as “some random.”

“He was quickly dealt with,” Wilson said. “The players laughed it off, saying they knew he wasn’t a golfer when they saw his grip.”

Another onlooker told The Scotsman newspaper: “He appeared on the tee, took the headcover off Rory’s driver in the bag then took out an iron 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.”

Perhaps not surprisingly, McIlroy had little to add at the end of a frustrating round marked by what has recently become the norm. Fairways were being missed, birdie chances were being spurned and short putts for par were sliding by.

“You all saw it on TV,” said McIlroy, as he packed his golf bag. “So you know what happened. I was surprised. But it was handled efficiently, and everything was OK. I had no idea who it was. Yes, there is a serious aspect to something like that. But it was handled well.”

Rahm, leading the tournament on 11 under par after adding a 65 to his opening 66, was more forthcoming.

“Let me put it this way: You could smell the reason why he did what he did,” said the World No. 1. “He was clearly not sober. I’m going to say it was vodka. I’m no expert, but he had a long night for sure. He probably thought it was a fun idea. And, to be fair, it was quite funny. At one point I thought he was going to Happy Gilmore the headcover. I don’t think it put Rory off. He hit maybe his best drive of the tournament off that tee. He started playing beautifully. If anything it put a smile on our faces. It’s a pretty good story to tell in the future.”

Still, as McIlroy alluded to, there could have been a more sinister aspect to such an egregious breach of security. But Rahm was quick to quell such a notion.

“Security was good,” he said. “But these things can happen. The guy had good timing. He walked in very confidently. We were all thinking, ‘Maybe he is supposed to be doing this.’ We didn’t know. We thought he was from television or a magazine and was going to take a picture. Then we realized that was not the case when he started to tee-off with the head-cover. But, for the most part, Rory and I both thought it was a prank or someone who was supposed to be there. We didn’t say anything. He was carrying a 6-iron. I didn’t want to get hurt.”

In response to what went on, the European Tour issued a short statement:

“At approximately 8 a.m. on Friday morning, a spectator entered the 10th tee area,” said a spokesperson. “He was quickly escorted from the tee by security personnel and the matter is now in the hands of Police Scotland.”

And in turn, “officers were alerted to a man causing a disturbance within the grounds of the Renaissance Club in East Lothian, around 8am on Friday July 9,” said Police Scotland. “The 35-year-old man has been taken to the Royal Infirmary in Edinburgh and enquiries are ongoing.”

The post A stunned Rory McIlroy watches spectator take a club from his bag, pretend to hit tee shot appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
NORTH BERWICK, Scotland — As has become the norm in his mid-to-late 40s, Lee Westwood took the second round of the Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club in his mature stride. Yes, the opening 65 had been a nice start to the week. But it was only a start. And 24 hours later, the brace of bogeys he made to begin the back nine were met with an equal level of equanimity. Life on tour is like that for the 48-year-old Englishman these days. Just about everything— good, bad and everywhere in-between—is met with a good-natured mixture of realism. It’s only a game.

And an easy game right now. Finishing eagle-birdie-birdie, Westwood surged from the chasing pack to legitimate contender in the space of 45 minutes amidst the haar-induced gloom encompassing the links on the southern shore of the Firth of Forth. With two rounds to play, Westwood is 10 under par and one shot off the pace set by U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm, Belgian Thomas Detry and Englishman Jack Senior.

But Westwood is way too long in the tooth to get over-excited about his victory chances here in Scotland and he was not above looking further ahead to next week’s Open Championship at Royal St. George’s. In tune with his more recent acceptance of fortunes good, bad and mediocre, his record at the southernmost venue on the Open rota is mixed. Winner of an amateur event (“can’t remember what it is called”) there in the early 1990s, he missed the Open cut in both 2003 and 2011.

“I always look forward to the Open Championship,” he said. “I missed not playing it last year. So it will be nice to be back, especially as it is shaping up like a normal tournament with them letting crowds in. In 2003, I just wasn’t playing well, and 10 years ago I probably played too many practice rounds with Darren [Clarke].”

That last bit was uttered very much tongue-in-cheek. Clarke famously walked off during his Tuesday practice round in 2011, then refused to even tee-off a day later, so bad was his form. Four days after that, of course, the Northern Irishman was clutching the claret jug.

So you never know, which again gels with Westwood’s experiences in 2021. Second at Bay Hill and the Players back in March, he hasn’t managed a top ten since. But the air of contentment that pervades his newlywed life has never gone away.

“Sometimes the stars align for players at majors,” said Westwood, who has son Sam on the bag this week, before wife Helen takes over next week. “And sometimes they don’t. There’s where I am right now and where my game is at. I’ve turned up at events this year thinking I was playing alright and nothing has come off. Then again, I’ve arrived with doubts in my head and done well. So I just accept that. I never know what to expect, which is a good way to play, I think. I have no preconceived ideas or expectations.

“What I have done well is stay patient. I’ve not gone ‘fishing’ for anything in my game, which I’ve done in the past. I’ve gone back to the little things I know make me play well.”

Westwood wasn’t saying any more on that subject, but a paucity of specifics wasn’t bothering one of Westwood’s playing partners over the last two days. Watching and learning, rising star Robert MacIntyre was more than impressed by the play of the older man.

“Lee is just Lee,” said the 24-year-old Scot. “He’s Steady Eddie. If there was someone that I could play golf like, it would be Lee Westwood. Tee-to-green, he’s just incredible. He makes the game look so simple. I go for daft pins, he’s never going to go for daft pins. Yesterday, I’ve gone right at the pin on the 15th and three-putted, because I left myself on the wrong side. Lee’s not even looking at the pin. He’s looking three yards right of it and even if he pushes it he’s always got a two-putt from there. That’s a little thing I need to learn.”

That process never ends, of course. Westwood is living proof of that. But he’s making all the right noises going into what will be his 88th major championship appearance. He hasn’t won one yet. But if omens are your thing, the then 42-year-old Clarke’s victory a decade ago is front and center. Experience clearly has a place at St. George’s.

“My swing feels in a good place and I’m rolling in my fair share of putts,” said Westwood with a smile. “And when that happens, I feel like I’m a good enough player to still contend.”

The post A cagey and contented Lee Westwood is primed for Open season appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Huggan
Because he finished inside the top 15 money winners on the 2019 Challenge Tour, Jack Senior is playing in the Scottish Open Championship this week. And he’s doing rather well so far. The 32-year-old Englishman, ranked 353rd in the world, opened with a seven-under-par 64 over the Tom Doak-designed Renaissance Club to claim the early lead in this $8 million “Rolex Series” event.

In other words, not too shabby for someone playing in only his 62nd European Tour event and whose previous best in a decade-long professional career is T-4 in last year’s South African Open. But Senior is a man with a past. Before switching from the amateur ranks, the Lancashire native was something of a stud.

After claiming the 2011 Lytham Trophy (the unofficial British amateur strokeplay championship), Senior was a member of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup side at Royal Aberdeen. A distinguished member at that. Senior contributed 2.5 precious points as the home team claimed the trophy by 14 points to 12. His only loss came in the first day singles, when he went down 3&2 to a young lad by the name of Jordan Spieth.

All of which was no surprise. Three weeks earlier, Senior had made his way to the semifinal of the U.S. Amateur Championship at Erin Hills, where he lost to the eventual champion, Kelly Kraft. An impressive accomplishment indeed. But en route, the then 23-year old took out a couple of young guns by the names of Justin Thomas and, wait for it, Jordan Spieth. Thomas fell by 4&3 in the second round; Spieth by one hole in the quarterfinal.

Those are matches you might imagine Senior would be happy to talk about forevermore. But that ship has apparently left the harbour for good. Post-64, he was in no mood to discuss what he clearly feels is ancient history.

“This comes up every time I play well, do you know what I mean?” he asked (not for the last time), presumably rhetorically. “I have done other things in life in the last ten years since I’ve been a pro. But this is a topic that obviously comes up a lot. All I try and do is try and play the best golf I can every single week. And this week, I’ve played really well in the first round. But that doesn’t make a difference. It’s where you end up at the end of the week that matters.”

Oh, but his interrogators weren’t quite ready to let the Thomas/Spieth angle go. Asked if he found reminders of past glories irritating, Senior made his feelings on the matter clear. Pair a tone of exasperation with the following quote:

“It doesn’t particularly annoy me because they are world-class players, aren’t they? Everyone is trying to be the best possible golfer they can be. I’m trying to be the best possible golfer I can be every single week. I try to learn as much as I can while trying to take on board the experiences I’m gaining. I try to make myself as a round a golfer as I can possibly be.”

More from Europe: What’s next when you’ve made only three cuts in your last 27 starts?

Yes, yes. But just one last question before we move on to the eight birdies you made today: Jordan and Justin are world-class players; what’s holding you back from getting to that level?

“I don’t really know,” was Senior’s response. “If someone could tell me the answer, then I’d be willing to listen. I’m just trying to work on my weaknesses as much as I can. I know I’ve got weaknesses. But I played flawless golf out there today, and didn’t really put myself in any trouble. So when you have a day like that, you are going to shoot a good score.”

Fair enough, but Senior’s obvious touchiness wasn’t quite finished. There was just time for one final, provocative query:

If someone said, ‘Jack Senior is on the top of the board in the first round of The Scottish Open,’ what would you think the (typical) response would be?

“Don’t know,” sighed Senior. “You’d have to go and ask people. I’m not a mind reader, do you know what I mean? Obviously there are people who have seen me play at a really high level. Some will obviously be surprised, but some might not be surprised, do you know what I mean? I’ve had a decent amateur career. I’ve had a steady pro career with highs and lows and things like that, and it’s not been easy. But at the end of the day I wouldn’t be in this field if I couldn’t perform at some kind of level.”

Lots of levels actually. But best we don’t get into that right now.

The post Early Scottish Open leader Jack Senior is ready to move on from questions about his amateur days appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.