Irish golf pro Rory McIlroy's preparation for the Irish Open has become more stressful after the airline he flew to Ireland with lost his clubs.
Rory McIlroy, with clubs, at the 2014 US Open.
The former world number one had landed in home in Ireland yesterday to discover his golf clubs had gone missing en route.
McIlroy's clubs would not only have a price tag high enough to make even the most avid amateur golfer blanch, they're also completely customised to McIlroy's style of play.
He took to Twitter to fire off this message to the airline. It took off among his fans who retweeted it over 3000 times.
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Hey @unitedlanded in Dublin yesterday morning from Newark and still no golf clubs... Sort of need them this week... Can someone help!?
��� Rory Mcilroy (@McIlroyRory) June 17, 2014United Airlines Twitter account is a busy one, responding to tweets of complaints, queries and the occasonal compliment 24 hours a day. It's often mentioned as one of the most effective airlines when it comes to social media customer service.
They replied to McIlroy quickly explaining they understood how important the clubs were and asked him to direct message (private message on Twitter) his bag reference number to them.
McIlroy, 25, has won two majors and over $US 23 million in prize money since beginning his professional career in 2007. He has just returned to Ireland after tying 23rd in the US Open.
Perhaps because of his star status or his almost two million followers, United Airlines found a solution quickly.
@McIlroyRoryWe have good news. Your clubs will be in tomorrow and we'll deliver them to the tournament for you. ^JH
��� United (@united) June 17, 2014In the kind of response we all wish for when a bag goes missing, the airline then tweeted back just two hours later explaining they hadlocated the clubs and would deliver them to the tournament the following day.
Despite this, many still took umbrage at the "good news", as the pro wasn't able to play a practice round on the Fota Island course in Cork before the tournament begins tomorrow. The tournament has a 2.5 million euro prize fund.
McIlroy's performance on and off the course has been the focus of much discussion recently, after he ended his engagement with tennis pro Caroline Wozniackilast month in a three minute phone call.