Rory McIlroy once posed as a photographer to follow Tiger Woods

Teenagers do some crazy things. Just ask their parents. Whether it’s coming in past curfew or sneaking out to meet a girlfriend or boyfriend, we have all been there at some point. When Rory McIlroy was a teenager, he did some sneaking around of his own. As he prepares for his sixth straight Dubai Desert Classic, McIlroy recalled an interesting story from the 2006 tournament when he missed the cut by a stroke.

“I remember I played on Thursday morning, and then on Thursday afternoon Tiger Woods was playing,” McIlroy said according to ESPN in the U.K. “I came out in the afternoon and took one of the photographer’s cameras off of him and was able to follow inside the ropes, which was pretty cool. That was my first real taste of Dubai, and I’ve been coming back every year since.”

Remember when Tiger was so good that teenagers would pretend to be photographers just so they could get a look at him? Perhaps that guy is on his way back, but it is interesting to see how far McIlroy has come in just six years.

Back then Rory idolized Tiger. Now, he’s one of the best golfers in the world and and is oftentimes compared to Woods. On top of that, he is dating a Tennis star and has a hot ex-girlfriend who still pines for him. It’s amazing how quickly things come together.