Fans say, 'Best day ever:' One Direction's Niall Horan caddies for McIlroy in Par-3 Contest

As Niall Horan got whisked away on a golf cart from the Par-3 Course, a teenage girl sobbed.

“I love him so much,” the 13-year-old cried to her father. “I’m never coming here again!”

On a day when young children serve as caddies and golf greats tee off, some of Wednesday’s attention centered on the golfer-caddie pairing of Rory McIlroy and One Direction band member Horan for the Par-3 Contest.

Sometimes it wasn’t clear who was more popular with autograph-seekers, the top-ranked golfer or the music star. Once, when handed a flag and a marker, Horan instinctively got ready to sign before he was asked to instead pass both to McIlroy.

But when there were tears shed, they were for Horan.

One girl drove up from Miami to get Horan to sign something for her friend. Another, 14-year-old Megan Oitzman from San Diego, got close as well, and though she didn’t get anything signed before the Par-3 round started, it seemed seeing Horan in person was enough.

“I’ve gone to every concert since I was like 11 years old,” she said. “I … I can’t believe I was that close to him. He’s so cute. I can’t even believe this.”

She wasn’t the only star-struck fan.

Multiple workers said they heard a young girl touched Horan and then fainted. The unforgiving heat probably didn’t help.

When one little girl waved to Horan, he waved back, causing her to give a little jump and mouth “I love you!”

Before the round, Horan joked around with how heavy McIlroy’s golf bag seemed. When he found out McIlroy probably wouldn’t need to use his full allotment of clubs, he wondered why the bag was so heavy.

“Then what are the rest of them for?”

“That will save you from going to the gym today,” McIlroy said later. “That’ll be your workout.”

The two arranged the Par-3 fun when they saw each other in Australia a few months ago. Horan said McIlroy asked if he wanted to carry his bag for the Par-3 Contest.

When he got to Augusta, the One Direction star didn’t waste time in seeing the course. He said he walked the second nine Tuesday, following McIlroy.

As of Wednesday afternoon, he said he planned on staying into the weekend so he could “jam around” and watch some players.

“I can’t believe this,” he said. “The slopes and stuff like that is unbelievable. You don’t see half of it on TV.”

After carrying McIlroy’s clubs around the Par-3 Course, Horan got the first shot at No. 9. He hit the ball way off line and short and into Ike’s Pond. When McIlroy finished the hole, both he and Horan signed autographs for children lined up along the ropes.

Horan said he hasn’t played a round at Augusta National Golf Club yet, but he joked a McIlroy win would perhaps prompt him to ask.

“If he wins this, the green jacket will be his, yeah? – then I’ll ask him.”

But what about the girl who cried without getting to talk to Horan?

Her name is Isabella Miller. She’s from Utah. Her father, Dave, got approached a little later by a man asking for his address. Miller said the man introduced himself as Rob Light, who’s managing partner and head of music at Creative Arts Agency, which counts One Direction as a client. Miller said the man asked for Miller’s address so Horan could possibly sign something to send to his daughter.

Suddenly, the tears subsided.

Whether she gets Horan’s signature, Isabella Miller was still smiling.

“Well, Niall looked at me, at least,” she said.