Rory McIlroy shot a 5-under 67 at the BMW PGA Championship on Thursday, but it wasn't easy.
The Northern Irishman was four under after six holes, and it was an eventful day from there, including a left-handed putt and an equipment malfunction on the par-five 12th hole.
On the 12th hole, McIlroy Second shot After impact, I saw the club head fly off. I couldn't believe that this was happening. And the best part was, the ball landed just over six feet from the hole. He went on to make birdie.
The video is amazing, but the shocking still images are even more surprising.
When you see the clubhead in the air and the ball flying straight, it seems impossible, so how did the ball stay on its trajectory?
“It felt a little weird. When I hit it, I was expecting obviously the weight of the club to go off, but nothing,” McIlroy said. “Thankfully the ball went where I wanted it to go. It could have been a lot worse, but thankfully they fixed it and I'll be OK tomorrow.”
The crazy moment wasn't McIlroy's only strange antics at Wentworth Golf Club on Thursday, when earlier in the round he had to use the back of his putter to make a left-handed putt on the par-4 eighth hole.
McIlroy settled for par on the hole, but it was still a thrill to see him flip the putter over and hit it from behind.
“Hopefully I won't be hitting lefties this week,” he said. “I hit it on the lip of the water hazard on the eighth hole and didn't have a stance to hit righties. It was passable. At least my speed was about right. The line wasn't right, but I hit the ball for par and got a quick trip to the ninth tee. I'm pretty happy with it.”
Despite these two crazy moments, McIlroy is still in contention to win. Five-under 67 is a great score to start the BMW PGA Championship. He's currently one stroke off the lead.
Despite all that, he was happy with the score. McIlroy did enough to save two strokes that could have ruined his whole day. Instead, luck seems to have been on his side and he will have a chance to bounce back from his heartbreaking loss in Ireland.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
