Robert MacIntyre says broadcast drone disrupted his Dunhill Links round

Robert MacIntyre said a broadcast drone disrupted his concentration during Thursday’s opening round of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at Carnoustie in Scotland. The defending champion said a tournament official spoke to him after he directed his frustration at the camera operator. The exchange raises a practical question for players and viewers: how close can a broadcast drone operate during a shot?

MacIntyre told BBC Sport that he had already asked a rules official twice about the drone before a shot on the eighth hole. He said he stepped away from that shot while thinking about it, and later stepped away from a putt because a drone was nearby. His account describes a distraction during play; it does not establish that the drone caused any particular result.

What MacIntyre said about the drone at Carnoustie

The Scottish golfer said the sound was especially difficult when a drone was trying to hold its position in the wind. ‘It drives me insane. I’ve had previous for it,’ he told the BBC. He compared the buffeting sound to a car revving beside him as he prepared to hit. He said a stationary drone caused him less difficulty.

MacIntyre acknowledged the importance of television coverage and its revenue to golf, but questioned the drone’s proximity to players. ‘They don’t need to be so close,’ he said. His complaint concerned the noise he experienced while playing, rather than a claim that all drone coverage should end. The BBC account does not give a measured distance between the drone and MacIntyre.

What the Dunhill Links drone rules say

The championship’s published spectator guidance lists unmanned aerial vehicles, including drones, among prohibited items. The same list includes other items that organisers or an authorised person may consider capable of causing a nuisance or disrupting play. These are entry rules for spectators; the page does not say that a broadcast operator was subject to the same prohibition during MacIntyre’s round.

The distinction matters because the drone MacIntyre described was being used for television coverage, while the published guidance tells spectators what they may bring to the event. The guidance neither sets a permitted distance for broadcast drones nor explains how their operators should respond if a player objects during a shot. It therefore cannot, by itself, settle whether the drone’s position breached a tournament rule.

The organisers’ list of prohibited items says it is not exhaustive. Their guidance also says spectators who breach entry policies may be asked to leave. Neither statement explains the conversation between MacIntyre and the official: the reported exchange followed MacIntyre’s remarks to the camera operator, and the available account gives no decision by the tournament director.

MacIntyre’s score and the next courses

MacIntyre finished his opening round one under par, according to BBC Sport. He dropped a shot at the par-four ninth, which was his 18th hole of the day. That score provides the sporting context for his comments, but the report does not establish that the drone caused the dropped shot. MacIntyre also said the round fell short of the standard he wanted from his game.

The 30-year-old was ranked 19th in the world when the BBC reported the incident. As defending champion, he was playing the first leg of the event’s three-course rotation at Carnoustie. BBC Sport reported that he was due at Kingsbarns on Friday and St Andrews on Saturday. Those scheduled rounds give him further play ahead, while the official’s response to his complaint remains unreported.

For now, the clearest account of the confrontation is MacIntyre’s description to BBC Sport: drone noise disturbed him, he raised it with an official before his shot, and an official later spoke to him after he challenged the operator. The championship’s public rules establish a spectator drone ban, but do not describe the arrangements for authorised television coverage or the outcome of this exchange.