Celtic fans throw tennis balls at owner Dermot Desmond during St Andrews golf tournament
Protesters in balaclavas threw tennis balls with Dermot Desmond's crossed-out face onto the 15th green at St Andrews during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, prompting security to escort the Celtic shareholder.
Incident on the 15th green
On Saturday, 3 October 2026, Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond was targeted in a fan protest during the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews. The 76-year-old Irish businessman was playing the 15th hole on the Old Course alongside American professional David Bryant and Brooks Koepka. A group of individuals dressed in black clothing and wearing balaclavas appeared at the edge of the green around 2:00 pm and threw tennis balls towards Desmond. The balls had pictures of Desmond's face crossed out on them. Security personnel escorted Desmond off the putting area, while the demonstrators fled before police officers could intervene. Koepka then missed a short birdie putt after tournament staff cleared the balls from the green.
Fan statement and police response
Police Scotland stated that officers were aware of tennis balls being thrown on the course around 2:00 pm and confirmed that no injuries were reported. Organizers of the DP World Tour event declined to comment on the matter. Desmond, who was accompanied by a personal security guard throughout the round, finished his play with police stationed near the 18th hole before leaving the venue in a golf buggy. Following the protest, the Celtic Fans Collective posted video footage and photos of the incident online, issuing a statement criticising Desmond's leadership of the club.
Dermot Desmond has essentially been allowed to run Celtic Football Club whilst using his wealth to hide from supporters and accountability. Fans took the chance today to send a message that this arrangement cannot continue.
- Desmond wins the Dunhill Links team tournament alongside Robert Karlsson
- Desmond claims a second Dunhill Links team victory partnering with Thorbjorn Olesen
- Celtic annual general meeting is abandoned following fan unrest and protests
- Protesters throw tennis balls at Desmond on the 15th green at St Andrews
Results and fan relations at Celtic
The confrontation follows growing friction between supporters and club leadership over transfer policy and performance in European competition. Celtic currently lead the Scottish Premiership table by two points over Rangers under manager Martin O'Neill, having won the domestic title on the final day of the previous season ahead of Hearts. However, the team suffered three consecutive defeats immediately before the October international break. Those matches included two losses against Rangers, one of which occurred at Parkhead, and a 3-1 home loss against Ferencvaros in their opening Europa League fixture.
Governance disputes and Dunhill history
Disputes over Desmond's management date back to Brendan Rodgers' resignation at the start of the 2025/26 season, when Desmond blamed the former manager for problems affecting the squad. Fan frustration led to the abandonment of Celtic's annual general meeting in November 2025 due to disruption inside the hall. During that meeting, Desmond's son Ross read a statement defending his father as a lifelong supporter and rejecting criticism aimed at chairman Peter Lawwell and chief executive Michael Nicholson. Desmond also defended the decision to ban members of the Green Brigade ultras group following earlier incidents. Desmond is a frequent participant in the Dunhill Links pro-am, having missed only one of the prior 24 editions, and previously won the team competition in 2010 with Robert Karlsson and in 2024 with Thorbjorn Olesen.
