McIlroy hits golf fan who falls into jumping cholla cactus: video

It can be dangerous watching professional golfers play shots in the desert.

Rory McIlroy defeated Boo Weekley 3&2 in his opening round match at the WGC Accenture Match Play Championship this morning, but it wasn’t all beer and skittles for McIlroy, or for those watching him.

McIlroy found his drive nestling up against a rock at the par-4 15th hole at Dove Mountain GC and sitting 3up with four holes to play, McIlroy took a swipe at it. Not surprisingly, the ball took an unpredictable path and seemed to have struck the lens of a cameraman.

The man reportedly fell back onto one of the notorious jumping cholla cacti which litter the golf course. Removing these spines after they’ve embedded themselves in the skin can be extremely painful as they have tiny barbs along the surface of each spine.

the guy seemed to take it all in his stride though, but I’m not sure how relieved he felt when fans came to his aide with knives out.

Incidentally, the “jumping cholla” doesn’t actually jump… according to Wikipedia:

“The “jumping cholla” name comes from the ease with which the stems detach when brushed, giving the impression that the stem jumped. Often the merest touch will leave a person with bits of cactus hanging on their clothes to be discovered later when either sitting or leaning on them.”

Makes me wonder why they built a golf course near them in the first place.