Robert MacIntyre had a magical day Sunday, winning his first PGA Tour event, but his final round featured some unexpected drama when he claimed a CBS camera drone bothered him.
The rookie backed away from one shot in his round at the RBC Canadian Open after clearly being irritated by the drone’s noise, something he complained about for a couple of holes.
MacIntyre could be heard on the broadcast complaining about the drone.
“I’m not gonna tell ya again. I spoke to the rules official before. That’s ridiculous,” MacIntyre said.
CBS opted to ground the camera following his complaints.
“We’re going to have to back the drone away from him because he’s hearing everything,” lead announcer Jim Nantz said.
“The drone’s headed to the airport,” analyst Dottie Pepper added.
It was a minor hiccup for MacIntyre during his first win, which was made even sweeter by the fact his father, Dougie, caddied for him.
Still, MacIntyre said after his victory he almost lost his temper.
“If it didn’t go away, I was going to start throwing my clubs at it,” MacIntyre said (via ESPN). “That’s how annoyed I was getting. … I mean, it’s a big wasp. I asked them to get rid of it. They did.”
MacIntyre isn’t the first golfer to complain about intrusive drones on the course, and networks and their production teams are still learning how to incorporate the expanded use of drones without becoming part of the story themselves.
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About Arthur Weinstein
Arthur spends his free time traveling around the U.S. to sporting events, state and national parks, and in search of great restaurants off the beaten path.