WATCH: Rory McIlroy hits his dad with errant approach shot at Masters

Day 1 of the 2021 Masters got off to a rough start for both McIlroys.

Rory McIlroy, still in pursuit of his first Masters title and career grand slam, began his first round on Thursday at Augusta National with four straight pars before making bogeys on 5 and 6. On 7 his drive went left and hit a tree, leaving him with an awkward angle into the green.

Trying to play a draw, McIlroy left his shot out to the right and yelled “Fore!” as it tracked into the gallery. But one patron didn’t react in time, as the ball hit him on the leg before rolling back down the hill. Luckily he seemed to be OK as he walked away.

Turns out the unlucky patron was Rory’s dad, Gerry McIlroy, who was a good sport about it.

Rory made bogey on 7 but bounced back with a birdie on 8 to get to two over par and in a tie for 45th. Check out the video of Rory’s errant shot on 7 below, and you can follow all of today’s action here.

Josh Berhow

Golf.com Editor

As GOLF.com’s managing editor, Berhow handles the day-to-day and long-term planning of one of the sport’s most-read news and service websites. He spends most of his days writing, editing, planning and wondering if he’ll ever break 80. Before joining GOLF.com in 2015, he worked at newspapers in Minnesota and Iowa. A graduate of Minnesota State University in Mankato, Minn., he resides in the Twin Cities with his wife and two kids. You can reach him at joshua_berhow@golf.com.

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