Rory McIlroy winces while answering a question from TNT’s Kathryn Tappen during an interview on Match IX at The Park in West Palm Beach, Florida.
As Tappen spoke, she reached her arm behind the four-time major champion McIlroy and jerked him off before he could respond.
At the time, Tappen was holding a cue card in his left hand and a microphone in his right. She gestured behind McIlroy with her card.
The world No. 2 golfer had the hood of his lightweight parka off center on his right shoulder, which shifted slightly after the incident.
Golf fans are debating what prompted McIlroy’s reaction. One Reddit user suggested, “I bet she poked him with a notecard and he thought it was a bug or something.”
Another source agreed, saying, “I think her comment card brushed over him and he got chills for a second,” and another added, “I watched this live and I’ve replayed it several times.” “I had to do it,” she said. She never touched him, but he jumped when the corner of her card hit his arm or back. ”
Some pointed to Parker as the problem. “Isn’t he just trying to shake the hoodie off his shoulders?” one person wondered, while another observed, “He’s been doing that all night trying to get the hoodie back on.” did.
But McIlroy didn’t let the incident distract him. He won 10 of 12 skins against Max Homa, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang, with Thompson winning the other two. The Northern Irishman raised $2.1 million for charity and won in a nearest-to-the-pin tiebreaker.
“I just think [I will remember] “It was really fun to be out here with Max, Rose and Lexi and play in such a great facility. The people here, the atmosphere, it was a really great night,” McIlroy said after the game.
“What we’ve seen with the activities at The Park, and you can feel it here, is creating so many opportunities for so many kids to get involved in the game of golf. It’s really amazing.”
*AI tools were used to add an additional layer to the editing process for this story.
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