Rory McIlroy started day one of the BMW PGA Championship in style.
The world number three player had to play one shot Back side and his club broke as he missed another shot with his weak hand.
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Despite being the favourite to win at Wentworth this week, McIlroy struggled to make it past the opening round.
The Northern Ireland star first had to get creative on the eighth hole as his approach shot landed right next to the water at the edge of the green.
This awkward position left McIlroy with no room to stand to the right of his ball, forcing him into an unusual position.
The 35-year-old starts out playing left-handed and uses the back of his putter to hit shots.
It wasn’t his best effort given the conditions, but the four-time major winner used his creativity to perfect a six-foot putt after getting close to the pin to make par.
As if McIlroy wasn’t already dealt a tough enough hand, the golf gods dealt him more trouble on the 12th.
Stepping up to make his second shot on the short par five, McIlroy incredibly lost the head of one of his irons at impact with his approach shot.
His iron-like head twisted and flew off the shaft of his club while hitting the ball at approximately 128 mph.
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Rory McIlroy’s career achievements
by Ian Tuckey
Rory McIlroy has spent more than 100 weeks at No. 1 in the world – and has won four majors and 40 tournaments to date.
Only all-time greats Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods have matched his feat of winning one of the Big Four titles by the age of 25.
And after winning the US Open in 2011, the Northern Irishman also won the PGA Championship the following year – and added both Open and PGA crowns in 2014.
Here’s a look at the illustrious career of the 35-year-old, a five-time Ryder Cup winner, who was also a strong critic of the rival Saudi-backed LIV Tour:
- 2007 – Topped the World Amateur Rankings at age 17.
Turned professional in September.
Became the youngest affiliate member to receive a tour card in the history of the European Tour.
- 2009 – Reached world top 50.
- 2010 – Won his first PGA Tour title at the Quail Hollow Championship.
Made a winning start to the Ryder Cup.
Became the youngest player to reach $10 million in earnings on the PGA Tour.
- 2011 – Loses a four-stroke lead on the final day of the Masters in May.
But the following month he won his first major title – the US Open.
Named Player of the Year by Ireland’s main broadcaster RTE.
- 2012 – Won the PGA Championship.
Won the PGA Tour Player of the Year title and also achieved glory in the Ryder Cup.
- 2013 – Signs a huge sponsorship deal with Nike.
- 2014 – His best year yet in terms of majors.
Won the Open at Royal Liverpool.
He then won the first of two consecutive PGA Titles, defeating Phil Mickelson by one stroke.
Awarded RTE Sports Person of the Year for the second time.
Again helped Europe win the Ryder Cup.
- 2016 – Finishes the season by winning the Tour Championship, which finishes atop the FedEx Cup standings and earns a $10 million bonus pool.
Had to face defeat in the Ryder Cup.
- 2017 – Failed to win throughout the year.
But finished in the top 10 at the Masters, The Open, and 3 WGC events.
And when Nike withdrew the majority of their share from the golf market, they signed an £80 million deal with TaylorMade.
- 2018 – More Ryder Cup fun.
- 2020 Overtakes Brooks Koepka to become world No. 1
- 2021 – Ryder Cup losers.
- 2022 – Finished runner-up at the Masters and tied for third at the Open.
- 2023 – Helps Europe beat USA 16.5-11.5 in the Ryder Cup.
- 2024 – Struggles at start of season, finishes tied 22nd at the Masters.
But he then won two tournaments – the Zurich Classic (for his 25th PGA title) and the Wells Fargo Championship.
The Ryder Cup star was stunned when he looked down to see his club break in two through no fault of his own.
Remarkably, the resulting shot was spectacular — an eight-foot putt for eagle.
Unfortunately, he was unable to make the mid-range putt for the miracle three and had to settle for a birdie.
Despite all the drama, McIlroy still led after 15 holes with a score of -6, putting him ahead of the early competition.
However, he later fell behind Nicolas Nørgaard and Grant Forrest to move up to T3.
It has already been an eventful week for McIlroy, with the two-time PGA Championship winner taking on Hollywood superstar Tom Holland and sports hero Andy Murray in Wednesday’s pro-am.
Get to know about Rory McIlroy’s tempestuous love life
Rory McIlroy enjoyed a high-profile romance with former world number one tennis player Caroline Wozniacki before they split in 2014.
The following year, the golfer began dating Erica Stoll, whom he first met on the PGA Tour in 2011.
Erica often interacted with players through her role as the PGA’s Championship Volunteer Operations Manager.
He even prevented McIlroy from missing his tee time at the 2012 Ryder Cup due to some confusion over time zones.
The incident marked the beginning of a deep friendship between the two, which turned into a romantic relationship four years later.
McIlroy and Erica were spotted on several dates in Rochester, New York during the early days of their relationship.
Just eight months later, the couple got engaged in Paris and tied the knot at Ashford Castle in Ireland in 2017.
Three years later, the couple welcomed daughter Poppy into the world.
During their time together, McIlroy and Erica kept their relationship to themselves, with the golfer attempting to protect his family from cameras during the filming of Netflix’s Full Swing documentary series.
However, after seven years of marriage, McIlroy filed for divorce from Erica.
The reasons for the divorce were not disclosed, but the Northern Irish man filed documents in a Florida court.
However, a few weeks later, he took a U-turn on his decision to divorce.
McIlroy told the outlet: “Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and are looking forward to a fresh start.”
