The fan appeared to have been attempting to get Woods to take a pen from him when the incident happened.

Woods recoiled, grabbed his face and quickly found the safe haven of the clubhouse, feeling the inside of his mouth with his tongue as he went.

When someone remarked to him that the security around him appeared a little light the 25-year-old said: "Tell me about it."

He nearly did not play a tournament earlier this season after injuring an ankle trying to get through the gallery after another practice round, while the same thing happened to Colin Montgomerie in a recent Irish Open.

Virtually all top players have spoken at some stage or other about the fears of being poked by pens or pencils.