Rory McIlroy suffered another nightmare on the golf course when his driver broke in half.
The Northern Irishman and four-time major champion had a freak accident at the BMW Championship after throwing his club into a pond the day before.
The bizarre incident happened during the final round of the tournament, held in Denver, Colorado, with a prize pool of £19 million at stake.
McIlroy was on No. 9 when his tee shot landed on the edge of a creek.
The disappointed man leaned slightly on his driver as he bent to pick up his tea-peg.
And, astonishingly, the club dramatically split in two.
The drama didn’t end there for McIlroy, who made his way to the fairway and then took off his shoes and socks and stood in the stream to play his second shot.
Fans on social media reacted to the awkward moment.
One said: “I think they both freaked out.”
Another said: “This is how you get a driver change.”
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One wrote: “Rory is having an interesting tournament.”
Another said: “This is madness.”
Getting familiar with the water is nothing new for McIlroy, who encountered it on Saturday.
After a terrible shot on the 17th hole, he threw his driver in anger.
However, he put too much power into the toss.
And his club fell straight into the pond.
McIlroy was then forced to pull it out and then handed it to his caddie, who dried it off with a towel.
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.
