Event
Protesters threw tennis balls bearing images of Dermot Desmond’s face onto the 15th green at St Andrews during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship on 3 October. The protest was attributed to disgruntled Celtic supporters. Police Scotland said there were no reported injuries and enquiries were ongoing.
2 published stories · celtic · source reliability 67%
Tennis balls bearing images of the Celtic shareholder were thrown onto the 15th green. Police Scotland said no injuries were reported and enquiries were ongoing.
Background
Dermot Desmond is a longtime Celtic shareholder and regular participant in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a pro-am golf event involving professional golfers and celebrities. A statement attributed to the Celtic Fans Collective criticised Desmond and called for the current arrangement at Celtic to end; those claims and demands are the group’s position.
Dermot Desmond is a longtime Celtic shareholder and regular participant in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, a pro-am golf event involving professional golfers and celebrities. A statement attributed to the Celtic Fans Collective criticised Desmond and called for the current
Fact cards
Key entities: Dermot Desmond, Celtic Fans Collective, Police Scotland, Celtic.
What happened at the 15th green? Tennis balls bearing images of Desmond were thrown onto it during the tournament. Were there any reported injuries? No. Police Scotland said there were no reported injuries and enquiries were ongoing. Who was responsible? The protest was attribute
Yahoo Sports | https://golfweek.usatoday.com/story/sports/golf/dpworldtour/2026/10/03/scottish-soccer-owner-targeted-by-tennis-balls-during-protest-at-st-andrews/92078301007 | published 2026-10-03T18:20:50.000Z | primary source | Yahoo Sports / Golfweek article | Main account of
2026-10-03: Protesters threw tennis balls bearing crossed-out images of Desmond onto the 15th green at St Andrews during the championship. 2026-10-03: Security intervened as Desmond prepared to take a shot. Police Scotland said there were no reported injuries and enquiries were o
Timeline
Protesters threw tennis balls bearing crossed-out images of Desmond onto the 15th green at St Andrews during the championship.
Security intervened as Desmond prepared to take a shot. Police Scotland said there were no reported injuries and enquiries were ongoing.
Desmond left the Old Course in a buggy; the article reported no further incidents.
FAQ
Tennis balls bearing images of Desmond were thrown onto it during the tournament.
No. Police Scotland said there were no reported injuries and enquiries were ongoing.
The protest was attributed to Celtic supporters, but the source does not independently establish the protesters’ identities or report arrests.
Its statement accused Desmond of avoiding supporter accountability and called for the current arrangement at Celtic to end.
Tennis balls bearing crossed-out images of Desmond’s face were thrown towards the 15th-hole green, and security escorted him off the course.
The Celtic Fans Collective said it was intended to challenge Desmond’s leadership and accountability.
The available material does not establish either detail.
The material cites concerns about Celtic’s European progress and transfer business.