US Open chiefs issue statement after Rory McIlroy incident left fans screaming

US Open organisers have been forced to clarify a bizarre incident involving Rory McIlroy after television viewers wrongly believed a spectator had picked up his ball during the opening round at Shinnecock Hills.

The moment sparked widespread criticism on social media on Thursday, with many fans accusing a female spectator of interfering with play as McIlroy battled his way around the notoriously difficult New York layout.

However, the United States Golf Association has now confirmed that the ball was never touched.

The incident unfolded on the fourth hole, McIlroy's 13th of the day, after the Northern Irishman attempted to hack his second shot out of thick rough.

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Unable to control the effort, the reigning Masters champion sent his ball well right of the green before it bounced off a cart path and finished in an area occupied by spectators.

A woman then appeared to approach the ball and bend down towards it, prompting audible cries of "Nooo!" from those nearby.

With television cameras quickly cutting away, viewers were left with the impression the ball had been picked up, while McIlroy himself seemed completely unaware of what had happened.

The footage quickly spread online, leading to calls for the spectator to be banned from attending future tournaments.

A fan appeared to pick up Rory McIlroy's ball after his second shot on the 4th hole — but she stopped just short of touching it. The USGA reviewed video and interviewed fans to confirm.

Statement from the USGA:
"Right after McIlroy’s second shot on the 4th hole came to rest, it…

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) June 18, 2026

But the USGA says the criticism was misplaced.

A spokesperson told GOLF.com: "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.

"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."

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McIlroy recovered from the unusual distraction to complete an encouraging opening round of one-under-par 69 in testing conditions.

The 37-year-old mixed three birdies with a superb eagle at the fifth but surrendered shots on each of his final two holes after errant wedge approaches.

Nevertheless, it represented a significant improvement on his nightmare start when the US Open was last staged at Shinnecock in 2018, when he opened with a disappointing 80.

Play had been delayed earlier in the day because of thick fog, while strong winds added to the challenge posed by one of golf's most demanding courses.

"With the conditions today, anything under par or anything around even par is a good score," McIlroy said.

"It was a day to really keep yourself in the tournament and not shoot yourself out of it, which is exactly what I did eight years ago here.

"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.

"Really just minimising the mistakes and I did that for the most part today."

McIlroy admitted his finish left him frustrated.

"I didn't feel like I hit two bad iron shots on the last two holes, but I put myself in pretty difficult spots and wasn't able to get it up and down," he said.

McIlroy, playing alongside Ryder Cup team-mates Tommy Fleetwood and Ludvig Aberg, begins his second round at 7.02pm UK time on Friday and remains firmly in contention heading into the weekend.

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