The Alfred Dunhill Links Championship is on at the Old Course in St Andrews and so are the controversies. And by the looks of it, the drama between the golfers is only going to get more brutal as the game reaches its conclusion. So we all know that some of the pretty big names in the industry like Rory McIlroy, Bob Murray, and Robert MacIntyre are currently teeing off at the tournament. While everything seemed normal up until the 1st round, the game is heating up in the 2nd.
In a recent post by Golf Digest writer Alex Mayer on X, the fans got to see that just as Robert MacIntyre was about to line up his putt, Rory McIlroy pulled off an incredible drive that landed right on the green. “Rory McIlroy drove the green while Robert MacIntyre was about to putt. “I don’t think Bob is too impressed with that!”, read the post caption.
This caused the fans to lose their collective mind over it saying all kinds of things. McIlroy is currently holding the T49 position with a score of 6 under par while MacIntyre is currently resting at the T70, with a score of 5 under par. Currently, the leaderboard is heated up, with Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts and Australia’s Cameron John tied for the top spot at 14 under par. Colsaerts carded a 7-under finish, while John posted a 4-under round. South Africa’s Darren Fichardt is hot on their heels, just one stroke behind at 13 under par after a 2-under finish.
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While saying anything as to who will score better is just not possible the fans are, as always, expressing their views on the incident.
Netizens are bashing the golfers at the Old Course
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Let’s start off with golf’s age-old villain: slow play. It’s the one thing that grinds the gears of players and fans alike. During a recent tournament, the topic flared up again, and golf enthusiasts weren’t shy about airing their frustrations. One particularly irate fan took to social media, saying, “People complain about slow play but also want Rory to wait on a 390-yard hole because he might get 80 yards of roll lol.” For the golf community, slow play is practically a sin—a scourge that drags down the game, turning a thrilling round into what feels like an endless slog.
Case in point: during this year’s AIG Women’s Open, a two-ball group took over two hours to complete just six holes. One frustrated viewer labeled it “unwatchable,” and they weren’t alone. Andrea Lee had to endure an excruciating 6-hour, 15-minute gap between her first tee shot and her post-round interview. For fans, it was unbearable. And apparently, for Robert MacIntyre, the slow play antics were equally painful. But when he voiced his displeasure, fans weren’t necessarily on his side. “Get over it, Bob,” one commenter bluntly wrote, while another compared MacIntyre to Tyrrell Hatton, quipping, “@robert1lefty is on his way to Hatton levels of moaning at anything 🫤 shame.”
There’s a reason for that comparison. During the 2024 Masters, Tyrrell Hatton didn’t hold back his frustration with slow play either, taking aim at rules officials and a group that included former champion Patrick Reed, describing the pace as “brutal.” Hatton even mouthed his disapproval with, “The lads in front have been so slow.”
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Speculation was running rampant on social media, with some fans suggesting that MacIntyre should have hit the ball back. “Should have hit the ball back,” one person suggested, while another added, “Imagine he hits it back at him 😂. That is definitely disrespectful.”
Slow play isn’t just a minor annoyance—it’s an issue that can change the entire atmosphere of a round. It’s the reason fans are pulling their hair out, the reason players are losing their cool, and the reason a round of golf can feel like a marathon when it should be an exhilarating sprint. So, what should MacIntyre have done in that situation? Was he right to voice his frustration, or should he have kept quiet and played through? Let us know what you think in the comment section below!
