Rory McIlroy, Rickie Fowler Comment on Fan Throwing Ball with Attached Earplug

While trying to become the first three-time winner of the Wells Fargo Championship, Rory McIlroy, as well as playing partner Rickie Fowler, dealt with another distraction Thursday in the form of a thrown golf ball with an earplug attached to it.

After McIlroy teed off on the 250-yard par-three sixth hole, his partner stepped up amid rain-soaked and windy conditions before a fan threw the object toward the 27-year-old Fowler.

"So random," Fowler said, per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com). "The guy tried to say it was a gift. I don't know why you would give a gift of a golf ball with an earplug attached to it." 

McIlroy also agreed that the gift seemed bizarre.

"It was one of those things," he said. "It was a golf ball with an earplug stuck on it, so it was sort of strange."

Perhaps the object was a reaction to this gorgeous shot McIlroy hit just before the fan launched his unusual present, via the PGA Tour:

McIlroy birdied the hole, while Fowler parred it.

Despite winning the event last year, which made him the first multitime Wells Fargo champion, McIlroy struggled Thursday, finishing with a one-over 73 in Round 1. He is eight shots behind Andrew Loupe and Steve Wheatcroft for the lead while sitting in a tie for 75th.

Fowler performed marginally better: He is at one under and tied for 30th, though he seems to have rebounded after missing the cut at the Masters in April.

As ESPN.com's Jason Sobel noted, the next few months are crucial for the young golfers, especially McIlroy:

McIlroy, who celebrated his 27th birthday Wednesday, has not won a major since the 2014 PGA Championship. He struggled at the Masters in April and is not looking sharp thus far in North Carolina. Fans will keep their eyes on the Northern Irishman as he tries to get his game back to a level where he can consistently compete with top players such as Fowler, Jason Day and Jordan Spieth.