“It was a perfect shot” - Rory McIlroy once hit his father at the Masters 

Rory McIlroy is widely recognized for his long shots on the golf course. However, back in 2021 during the Masters, when he intended to hit a shot on the course in a straight line, it apparently hit his father in the gallery.

McIlroy had a tough start at the 85th Masters. He parred on the first four holes and then dropped shots on the fifth and sixth holes of the first round of the major. The Northern Irish golfer tried to get back in the game on the seventh hole but ended up hurting his father.

Speaking about his shot in a press conference back then, Rory Mcllroy said:

"I was trying to turn the ball off him. It was a perfect shot; it was dead straight. But I think he was OK. He didn’t limp away, he walked away pretty swiftly, so that was all right. I knew it was my dad when I was aiming at him, so probably 30 seconds before I hit it.”

Initially, he did not realize he took a shot at his father. However, his caddie, Harry Diamond said:

"Was that your dad you hit?"

"Yeah," Mcllroy replied.

If such incidents occur, players are expected to sign a glove and present it to the spectator as an apology. Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, stated that he would gift his father an autographed 'bag of frozen peas'.

During the tournament press conference in 2021, the four-time major winner said:

"“He’s seen me sign plenty of stuff over the years, so I think that’s the least of his worries. I think he just needs to go and put some ice on. Maybe I'll autograph a bag of frozen peas for him."

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Who is Rory McIlroy's father?

Rory McIlroy's father's name is Gerry and like his son, he also enjoys golf. It was Gerry who introduced Mcllroy to the game and coached him when he was young.

His father is an avid golfer and played at a scratch handicap level. Although Gerry always keeps him away from the limelight, he has been Mcllroy's biggest supporter throughout his career. He ran down several jobs to help his son to focus on his golfing career. during the initial days of his career.

Gerry accompanied Rory Mcllroy at the last year's Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. They also played a couple of rounds together.

Spending to SkySports, McIlroy opened up about his father and said:

"It's a lot of fun. When we get to play, it certainly is one of the weeks that I look forward to the most. Like even just strolling around the course this morning with him, with Danny Willett and with Jimmy Dunne who's a good friend of ours as well… You just don't get to do this too often so yeah it's really, really nice… I said in the press conference there that I'm probably more focused on the team event than I am on the individual one!"