Rory McIlroy could find himself unwittingly on the wrong side of the law if he tweets another 'selfie’ from the Ryder Cup.
At the Hoylake Open in July, McIlroy tweeted a photo of himself holding the victor’s claret jug to his 2 million followers on Twitter.
However, the competition organisers have introduced a ban on uploading photographs to the internet via social media during the event at Gleneagles in Scotland later this month.
No audio or video capture is permitted at all during the six-day event as the Professional Golfers’ Association of America (PGA) and the PGA European Tour want to make sure their image is intact, and players are not distracted.
Anyone contravening the lengthy list of regulations will have their mobile device or camera confiscated for the duration of the day.
Social media expert Prof Sarah Pedersen, of Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, said the regulation may be difficult to enforce.
Referring to a recent request from Kate Bush, the singer, that fans should not take pictures during her current tour, Prof Pedersen said: “There are always going to be people who want to break the law. I think Kate Bush was very lucky because she had this incredibly loyal and very excited audience.”
She said of the Ryder Cup ban: “It is something we will see an increase in. There are all sorts of reasons behind this, to do with sponsorship.”
Prof Pedersen added: “If you have got people there with mobile phones instantly uploading things to the internet then of course you have no control over what sort of image is being presented of your event.”
Over 250,000 spectators are expected to witness the clash between America and Europe at Gleneagles, which culminates on Sept 26 – 28. The ground regulations warn ticketholders, who have paid up to £1,500 a day, that no audio or video capture is permitted and no still photography except on practice days.
The rules also state: “Images taken with a camera, mobile phone or other electronic device cannot be used for any purpose other than for private and domestic purposes. You must not sell, license, publish (including, without limitation, via Twitter or Facebook or any other social media site) or otherwise commercially exploit photographs.”
While texting is allowed, and calls in designated areas, mobile phones must be in silent mode at all times. Other prohibitions include a ban on autographs, running, personal mobility scooters and children under five.
A spokesman for Ryder Cup Europe said: “The Ryder Cup is one of the world’s most recognised sporting events and as such we need to ensure that the brand, encompassing fair play, teamwork and camaraderie is protected at all times which means ensuring that images of the event are not used for monetary gain in a manner which may go against those principles.
“The taking of pictures during high pressure sporting events has also been shown to have an adverse effect on players, with shutter sounds and bright flashes proving to be a distraction at critical moments. It is not fair to compromise the sporting occasion for either the players or those spectating.”
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