Rory McIlroy overcomes flying clubhead to sit two off lead at BMW PGA Championship
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Rory McIlroy plays his second shot on the 12th hole as his club head breaks during day one of the BMW PGA Championship. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy shot an opening 5-under 67 to finish two back of first-round leader Matthew Baldwin at the BMW PGA Championship, the DP World Tour’s flagship tournament at Wentworth Golf Club in England, despite the head of his 9-iron flying off mid-swing on the 12th hole.
McIlroy had split the fairway with his drive and was left with 178 yards to the pin. His 9-iron second shot saw the clubhead fly off at impact; the ball, incredibly, flew true and ended up just inside 7 feet for eagle. He missed the putt and tapped in for birdie.
“Yeah, it was a bit of a weird feeling,” McIlroy said. “I hit, and you know, obviously you're expecting the weight of the club to just pull through and there was nothing there.
“Thankfully the ball went where I wanted it to,” he added. “It could have been a lot worse but thankfully got it repaired and it should be okay to go tomorrow.”
The moment came just four holes after McIlroy was forced to hit a putt lefthanded after his ball settled on the edge of a water hazard. He made par.
It was his birdie, though, at the 12th that won’t soon be forgotten. McIlroy and Sky Sports analyst Wayne Riley laughed about the episode as they walked down the fairway after the decoupled 9-iron head, and after signing for a solid opening round that had him just one behind early clubhouse leader Niklas Nørgaard of Denmark, McIlroy spent most of his post-round comments talking about the strange moment.
“Yeah, I don't think it's ever happened to me before,” he said. “Obviously a very weird feeling through impact. I looked up and the club head caught my eye instead of the golf ball. I completely lost where the golf ball was. Didn't know where it went.
Rory McIlroy inspects his club after breaking it on the 12th hole during day one of the BMW PGA Championship. (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
“But I was just looking somewhere around the green,” he continued, “and saw the ball fall just right of the pin and go up there and go pretty close. Fortunately, it didn't impact the shot too much. But I got it repaired and had it back on 16. Thankfully didn't need it for any of the holes in between.”
Baldwin leads by one after the conclusion of Round 1 over Niklas Nørgaard and Thomas Detry. McIlroy is part of an 11-way tie for fourth that includes Irishman Shane Lowy, Frechman Victor Perez and Billy Horschel.