‘It drives me insane’: Tour winner blames TV drone for bad shot at St. Andrews event

Robert MacIntyre blamed a TV drone for contributing to a bad shot during the opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the DP World Tour event played across the Old Course at St. Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns.

On Thursday at Carnoustie, the Scot and two-time PGA Tour winner was forced to step off his shots twice because of a drone being used for television coverage. After shooting a 71, MacIntyre discussed the incidents with BBC Sport.

“I asked him twice previous to the shot on the 8th about the drone, and then I step off the shot on 8. Before I hit the shot I give the guy the nod, I can hear it still, like it’s too close. I step off the shot, not fully committed because I’m just thinking about the drone, and then, yeah, I hit a bad shot,” MacIntyre said. He added that he also stepped off a putt on the 18th because a drone was nearby.

MacIntyre acknowledged that television is crucial to professional golf but argued that TV drones do not need to fly so close to players.

“I get that TV is everything, money, everything. But they don’t need to be so close,” he said, joking that his camera had enough zoom to show the golf shot from the distance at which the drone was flying.

MacIntyre said the problem is especially noticeable in strong winds. As the drone tries to hold its position in gusts, its changing engine noise resembles a car revving beside a player preparing to hit.

“It drives me insane. I’ve had previous for it. The problem is, when they’re staying stable it’s fine, it’s more, it’s obviously buffeting from the wind, and it’s trying to stay in position, it’s like a revving of a car right where you’re trying to hit,” MacIntyre explained. “When they’re too close in these conditions I struggle with it.”

This is not MacIntyre’s first problem with TV drones. During the final round of the 2024 RBC Canadian Open, he repeatedly complained about CBS’s drone on the course. CBS agreed to ground it, and MacIntyre went on to win his first PGA Tour title.

His frustration did not appear to carry over into Friday’s play. Competing at Kingsbarns in the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, MacIntyre opened with four early birdies to move up the leaderboard and into contention.