Rory McIlroy ‘fractured hand’ of spectator with errant tee shot at The Open Championship at St Andrews

Rory McIlroy put on a golfing clinic in the first round of the Open Championship on Thursday, with his driving of the highest class, but one errant shot resulted in a spectator suffering a broken hand.

“Everything feels very settled,” McIlroy said after the round. “No real issues with my game.

“Everything feels like it’s in good shape. Everything feels just sort of nice and quiet, which is a nice way to be. And yeah, thinking well.”

His long game was as good as it has been all season, but one wayward shot ended in a fan needing a trip to hospital to confirm a broken hand.

Charlie Kane, who works for the PGA Tour on their digital team, said he could not blame McIlroy as the Irishman let out a shout of ‘fore’ which he failed to heed.

“Fractured hand after Rory McIlroy’s drive landed on my knuckle,” Kane wrote on Twitter.

“He shouted fore. I did not heed the warning.”

McIlroy is out in the afternoon for the second round of the Open Championship, and he will look to keep tabs on those who took advantage of favourable conditions in the morning.

At the time of going out for round two, McIlroy was three shots adrift of clubhouse leader Dustin Johnson.