Rory McIlroy is known to cause a stir every time he prepares to play, and day three at the 2025 Tour Championship was no different. He entered the third round trailing Tommy Fleetwood by six strokes. And as he made his entrance onto the East Lake course, flanked by two of his teammates, he was followed by a cameraman and a security guard. But while the cameraman was busy filming the golfer, stepping backwards for a better angle, he took a tumble!

“Oh,” McIlroy reacted and extended his hand, but the cameraman had already received help from a bystander. Sky Sports Golf’s Nick Dougherty reacted to the moment on air and said, “Oh boy, well, as long as it’s not Rory that stumbles I suppose today that’s the plan anyway… back on his feet and off he goes.”

And when the clip was replayed on Sky Sports, Dougherty added, “Oh here we go, ah that’s a bit cruel isn’t it, there’s always someone there to capture the moment, the world we live in…” 

At the Tour Championship on Saturday, the golfer was two under to find himself at -9 overall—in 10th place, and seven behind Fleetwood. But on Friday, after shooting three under, McIlroy had praised himself. “I felt like I hit the ball pretty well,” he told the media. “I just didn’t take advantage of that good ball-striking…I played the first six holes well – a couple under, and then just got on the par train and couldn’t get off it, even though I was giving myself some chances (it) felt like to at least hole one at the end and make another birdie.”

However, for fans, his performance wasn’t the talking point. Instead, they were left wondering why McIlroy didn’t show much concern for the cameraman. After his initial reaction to the fall, the 36-year-old continued chatting with those around him, and perhaps that didn’t sit well with golf fans.

What did fans say about the golfer?

PGA Tour fans slam Rory McIlroy’s behavior at the TOUR Championship

His behavior did not sit well with the fans. “Imagine being so locked in you can’t spare a hand for the guy who just ate grass filming you. Ice cold from Rory 😅,” wrote one fan. Another chimed in with, “Rory didn’t seem to concerned.” It is not often that we see Rory McIlroy in such light; however, he has had his fair share of controversial moments.

In 2023, for instance, after former Ryder Cup vice-captain Henrik Stenson made a switch to LIV Golf, McIlroy took a dig at him, saying, “The best thing to happen to the 2023 Euro Ryder cup team was Henrik going to LIV!” In response, Stenson threw his own jab: “Nice to see the season of good will in full swing! Mеrry Christmas!!!”

A third fan showed disbelief at McIlroy’s behavior, commenting, “Didn’t want to help the guy up?!?!” Another wrote, “About what I’d expect from Rory.” Interestingly, the Northern Irishman has previously received criticism for his behavior, not just from the fans but also from fellow pros.

After Sergio Garcia left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, Rory McIlroy revealed a fiery text-message exchange with his former Ryder Cup teammate. McIlroy said Garcia was “basically telling me to shut up about LIV, blah, blah, blah.” McIlroy was “offended” by Garcia’s words and shot back “a couple of daggers” in response.

Garcia reacted to the spat, telling The Telegraph, “I think it is very sad. I think that we’ve done so many things together and had so many experiences that for him to throw that away just because I decided to go to a different tour, well, it doesn’t seem very mature; lacking maturity, really.” 

Lastly, a fan said, “Being around Rory will do that.” The Irish pro has not said anything about the matter yet.