WATCH: Tom Holland apologizes to Rory McIlroy as they greet at the 2024 BMW Championship
Tom Holland is among the celebrities at the BMW PGA Championship, where Rory McIlroy is set to play tomorrow. The DP World Tour event is one of the tour's most prominent tournaments and has a pro-am for celebrities such as Holland, Andy Murray, and others.
Before beginning play, both McIlroy and Holland were at the driving range, and the Spider-Man: No Way Home actor couldn't pass up an opportunity to speak with the star golfer when he got the chance to.
He stepped over to where McIlroy was and apologized for interrupting the Irishman:
"Hello mate, sorry I'm Tom. It's a pleasure. Yeah, good man, how are you?"
The two then went back to the driving range to practice their swings. Holland and McIlroy each hit one and watched it fly through the air. While they chatted, it certainly didn't seem as if McIlroy was bothered by the actor, and Holland kept their discussion brief so as to not be a distraction.
The pro-am features star golfers such as McIlroy, Robert MacIntyre, Adam Scott, Luke Donald, and Justin Rose, but it also has celebrities like Tom Holland, Murray, Gareth Bale, and Gary Fraser.
Groupings will be teeing off all day today, with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour players playing solo again for the tournament itself tomorrow. They'll compete for a piece of the $9 million prize purse all weekend, though there is a cut made after the second round.
Today is all about the celebrities, though, as many of them don't play golf nearly as often as the players do. It is a sport that a lot of celebrities and retired former athletes take up, which is why pro-ams do occur at various tournaments throughout the year.
What is Tom Holland's handicap?
Tom Holland is one of several celebrity golfers. Golf is a unique sport in that there is a metric that can essentially define how good an amateur really is. Everyone can get a handicap, and the better the handicap, the closer they are to what's considered a scratch golfer.
Holland's handicap when he began taking up the sport was six. Ahead of the BMW PGA Championship Pro-Am, it was revealed that his handicap has shrunk to 2.9. This is one of the better marks in the field, as James Anderson (1.8), Gareth Bale (scratch), Anton du Beke (1), Kevin Pietersen (2), Ollie Pope (1), and Dan Walker (+1.2) are higher.
Andy Murray has a handicap of seven, Jordan Pickford's is at 9.9, and Michael McIntyre is at 18, so Holland's is very solid. He will need to put his skills to good use today alongside his two siblings and English golfer Tommy Fleetwood.