Tom Felton approached the first tee at a pre-Ryder Cup celebrity tournament on Thursday with joyful elan.
The actor from Surrey, who came to fame appearing as bad boy Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, played up to the appreciative crowd by pretending to ride his club like a broomstick – and raised a laugh by performing a comedy trip-up.
Now 34, Felton is well used to the applause, and could hardly have looked more relaxed at the event.
After all, as well as being a natural entertainer Felton is a keen golfer and just three weeks beforehand had taken part in another pro-am event at the BMW PGA Championship in Virginia Water, Surrey.
This sort of thing is, for him, quite literally par for the course.
However, not long after larking about and teeing off on that chilly morning two days ago in Wisconsin he collapsed on the green, suffering an as-yet-undisclosed medical emergency
Felton was lifted on to a stretcher, put on a golf buggy and taken off the course in Whistling Straits, Sheboygan. The contrast with his arrival could not have been more marked
However, not long after larking about and teeing off on that chilly morning two days ago in Wisconsin he collapsed on the green, suffering an as-yet-undisclosed medical emergency.
Felton was lifted on to a stretcher, put on a golf buggy and taken off the course in Whistling Straits, Sheboygan. The contrast with his arrival could not have been more marked.
So what had reduced this buoyant young star to a pitiful version of his earlier self – just a day after he celebrated his 34th birthday?
The Professional Golfers' Association of America said afterwards: 'In today's Ryder Cup Celebrity Match, actor and musician Tom Felton experienced a medical incident on the course while participating for Europe.
'He was transported to a local hospital for treatment. No further details are available.'
His mother Sharon was not at work at the domestic appliance shop she runs in Dorking yesterday afternoon, and his publicists in Los Angeles did not return requests for comment.
Meanwhile, Felton's singer friend Derek Pitts tried to calm worried fans, writing on Instagram that the crisis had passed. 'He's okay. Speedy recovery brother,' wrote Pitts.
The post will have done little to appease the millions of ardent Potter fans across the globe.
Some must be fearful he is following in the footsteps of co-star Daniel Radcliffe, who admitted to hating being 'watched' and turned to alcohol to offset the pressures of global fame.
The Professional Golfers' Association of America said afterwards: 'In today's Ryder Cup Celebrity Match, actor and musician Tom Felton experienced a medical incident on the course while participating for Europe'
After all, when you are a household name at age 14 and are worth a cool £30million by the time you hit 30, where is there to go in life but down?
It was 1999 when 12-year-old Felton was cast in the role that would change his life – although he hadn't read the books.
He tried out for the role of both Harry and Ron Weasley before being cast as villainous Draco Malfoy. The first film came out in 2001, and the last in 2011.
But coping with becoming a worldwide phenomenon while still a teenager was far from easy.
Felton told one interviewer: 'One thing that people keep on saying to me is that the wealth and the fame must have made up for missing out on my childhood. But the idea of money – putting a price on your childhood – is ridiculous.
'To me, fame is not a positive thing. The idea of being famous is a lot better than the reality. It's fantastic when you go to premieres and people cheer you, but it's not real.'
It also wasn't easy playing the bad guy. 'I'm stunned when people ask if I'm like Draco,' he said. 'Jo [Rowling] wrote Draco as a one-dimensional bully, a slimy individual, to get the audience hating him.'
