CNN
—
As the latest inductee into one of sport’s most exclusive clubs, there is little that grand slam champion Rory McIlroy has not seen in the game of golf. Then, just past the halfway mark of his Open Championship third round on Saturday, he swung.
Enjoying an excellent day in front of a vociferous home support at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the 36-year-old found himself in a spot of bother when his tee shot at the par-four 11th curved into the rough on the right of the fairway.
The “Oh my God” that followed the subsequent swipe of his wedge was McIlroy’s response to his effort falling short of the green, but the world No. 2’s attention quickly turned to the ball, somehow, at his feet.
Miraculously, his swing had inadvertently popped up a second ball submerged below his played one in the Dunluce Links soil.
“Oh my goodness … That’s got to be a first hasn’t it?” exclaimed three-time Open winner Nick Faldo on the Sky Sports Golf broadcast.
“He was very fortunate to miss the ferns and the wild rose bushes but then he lands on an old golf ball … what a story.”
McIlroy evidently saw the funny side, holding aloft the hidden treasure with an incredulous smile even as he watched his actual shot trickle away from the green before tossing it into a nearby bush.
After the round, McIlroy said he “honestly” didn’t know what happened on the 11th.
“That is the most weird, ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen. Then my ball came out really weird and spinny. Yeah, just so strange.”
Though a first bogey of the round followed, the five-time major winner immediately responded in stunning fashion to reignite a day he had begun with three birdies in four holes.
Just over 56 feet away from the par-five 12th cup, he knocked a perfectly weighted putt that rolled for more than 10 seconds before dropping in for eagle and sparking rapturous scenes in the stands behind him.
“It’s one of the largest roars I’ve ever heard on a golf course,” he remarked later.
It was the undoubted personal highlight of a day that saw McIlroy, born some 60 miles away in the small town of Holywood, keep his dream of a fairytale home Open win alive, as a five-under 66 lifted him to eight-under par overall.
That left him six strokes adrift of leader Scottie Scheffler: one shot closer than at the start of Saturday but still surely requiring an even greater performance if he is to lift his second Claret Jug.
“He’s playing like Scottie. I don’t think it’s a surprise … He’s just so solid, he doesn’t make mistakes,” McIlroy said.
“He’s turned himself into a really consistent putter as well. So there doesn’t seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you’re trying to chase down a guy like that, it’s hard to do.”
Whatever the outcome, McIlroy has banished the demons of a tearful missed cut when the major returned to Royal Portrush for the first time in 68 years in 2019.
The 29-time PGA Tour winner has enjoyed phenomenal support all week on the Causeway Coast, with chants of “Rory, Rory, Rory” ringing out through rain and shine, even after a steady start of 70 and 69.
‘Absolutely incredible out there. The atmosphere has been electric all day,” McIlroy told Sky Sports.
“An absolute pleasure to play in front of my home crowd, my fans. I’ve tried my best. I try my best every week, but I’m really just trying to hang in there and stay in it.”
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