Rory McIlroy has praised golf’s disciplinary bosses for their hardline stance, after they threw English golfer Frank Kennedy out of Qualifying School for hacking up a green.

Kennedy, 21, was on course to earn a place alongside McIlroy on the DP World Tour when he was reported by another player for “causing a one foot long divot, just four feet from the hole”.

He had just missed a birdie putt on the par five 11th, and lashed out with his putter after tapping in for par.

He was hauled in by the tournament organisers at the Infinitum golf complex in Spain after completing his round, and was handed an immediate disqualification for serious misconduct.

Kennedy’s four round score of 15 under par would have put him among the top 20 players going through to an additional 36 hole shootout.

The Manchester golfer – who was leading amateur before opening his professional account with a win on the second tier HotelPlanner Tour when he was just 18 – appealed against the sanction.

But disciplinary chiefs upheld the verdict after interviewing Kennedy, several of his fellow competitors and reviewing photographic evidence.

German golfer Max Schmitt, playing in the group behind Kennedy, posted on Tik Tok about the incident, saying it was “pretty disgusting”.

It has been a hot topic of discussion ahead of this week’s DP World Tour Championship in Dubai, with McIlroy revealing he and caddie Harry Diamond had been talking about it with their pro-am partners today.

McIlroy explained: “It seems harsh but at the same time, I think it’s good that golf and the authorities are cracking down on things like this. It’s an unbelievably unfortunate incident.

“I think we can all get a bit hot when we’re younger. I still have my moments where I’m maybe not proud of some of the things that I do on the golf course in anger or if I’ve hit a bad shot.

“But think nearly 20 years into a career, you learn to take the rough with the smooth. You know there’s going to be highs and lows, and as long as you expect those things to happen, then you can deal with them the right way.”

Before his appeal was heard, Kennedy issued a statement on Instagram denying he deliberately damaged the course.

It read: “I did not intentionally or deliberately damage the putting surface, and any comments saying otherwise are wholly incorrect.

“On the 11th green I missed a birdie putt and tapped in. In frustration. As I was walking off the green, I swung my putter and it accidentally caught the surface.

“My playing partner and I repaired it straight away, and we were both satisfied it was properly fixed before we moved on. I should have called a referee to check the repair, and I’ve learned from that.

“I have always respected and followed the rules of golf. If accidental contact like this, repaired at once, is a disqualification offence, I will respect that.

“But it isn’t clear to me that it is, and many senior players I’ve spoken to were surprised by the decision.

“So, I have asked the DP World Tour for clarification and a review, and I will respect the outcome of that review. While that happens, I won’t be commenting further.”

Kennedy is not the first golfer to be disqualified for damaging a green.

Masters champion Sergio Garcia suffered the same fate at the 2019 Saudi International tournament – where he slammed his putter into the turf, leaving “noticeable gouges”.

The volatile Spaniard accepted the decision, and issued a public apology.