Rob Lowe gave up golf after killing the Iowa state bird during a tournament.

The Wayne's World actor was playing a round in a celebrity match when he took out a flying finch with his ball.

He tells U.S. chat show host Conan O'Brien, "I hit a really, I thought, nice sand wedge... and 'boink', dead.

"The sponsors of this tournament was an insurance company, so their actuaries did the math and it turns out the odds of me going to Iowa and killing the state bird with a golf ball shot in flight are one in 747 million... and a hole in one is one in 500,000.

"I figured, 'I'm quitting after that...' A real birdie!"