“He shouted fore” – Rory McIlroy accidentally breaks fan’s hand with tee shot at Open Championship

"He shouted fore. I did not heed the warning."

Rory McIlroy made a near-perfect start to The Open Championship on Thursday. The Northern Irish golfer recorded an excellent first-round score of 66 on the Old Course at St Andrews, which left him just two shots behind the overnight leader Cameron Young. The only blip on his day was a tee shot that accidentally injured a spectator on the course.

Rory McIlroy accidentally 'fractures hand' of a spectator at Open Championship.

Charlie Kane, who works for the PGA Tour, was a spectator at the event and McIlroy's tee shot struck him on the knuckle. The Northern Irish golfer shouted 'fore' to warn the spectators, but Kane said he 'did not heed the warning' and attached no blame to McIlroy for his injury. The spectator needed medical treatment and shared images of his 'fractured hand' on social media. "Fractured hand after Rory McIlroy’s drive landed on my knuckle," Kane wrote. "He shouted fore. I did not heed the warning." https://twitter.com/PGATOURKane/status/1547584063644479492

McIlroy reflects on his opening round at the Open Championship.

Otherwise, it was an excellent opening day for McIlroy, who was happy with his performance. "I played well. Very solid," McIlroy said after his first round at the tournament. "Everyone knows, on this golf course, you need to get your scores, going out, and I did that. "Started off with a bonus on the first, so got the adrenaline going... I birdied the holes I needed to, today, and only made one mistake."

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