British Open: Rory McIlroy produces the most bizarre shot of his life at Royal Portrush
The second ball was apparently embedded in the ground a few inches ahead of McIlroy's ball, and popped into the air as McIlroy's shot flew greenward.
'That is one of the most weird, ridiculous things I've ever seen," McIlroy said of the shot after his round, where he finished at 8-under. "So strange.'
McIlroy tossed the extra ball aside. For the record, it was a Titleist 4, and it ended up in the hands of a lucky fan:
Alas, because McIlroy didn't replace the ball in its original spot, the R&A hit Shane Lowry with a two-shot penalty. (Kidding. Maybe.)
McIlroy would go on to bogey the hole.
After a hot three-birdies-in-four-holes start, McIlroy cooled off slightly, parring the next six holes before the weirdest bogey at 11.
He did, however, follow that up with a monster putt for eagle at No. 12 to move closer to the top of the leaderboard.
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Hatton and Fleetwood each played four matches in Rome, and Lowry is a ready-made partner for our sixth automatic pick, Sepp Straka. Of all of these men, Straka has the most nervous road to Bethpage. He missed the first three majors cuts of the year and finished T52 at the Open, and will need some positive results in the PGA Tour's playoffs to not need a captain's pick. Jon Rahm has not done well enough outside of LIV to qualify on points but c'mon, how can you not bring the Spaniard? His good is still better than most's best, and he hits it a mile off the tee. You need that at this course. This is where the questions begin, and you have to have at least some doubt about what you're getting from them during Ryder Cup week. Advertisement Viktor Hovland is going to be on the team, which is not something I would have guaranteed at different points over the last two years. The Norwegian has figured out his game enough to earn the spot, though the boom-or-bust nature of his game the last four months has me worried. Could he win 3 1/2 points again? Sure. Could he be a disappointment and struggle? Also yes. Ludvig Åberg's PGA Tour season has been a definite sophomore slump, with a regression off the tee and around the greens causing him to be a middle-of-the-pack player. Among just Europeans, he's 12th in strokes gained overall the last three months, behind several players not on this team. So why take him? One, he's Ludvig Åberg and the long-term view is still him as one of the most exciting young players in golf. But the unique format of the Ryder Cup would allow an enterprising captain to use Åberg in foursomes, setting him up for his still-strong iron play to be a weapon on approaches and the par-3s. Rose will be 45 by the end of September and he needs to be a role player at Bethpage. After his playoff loss at the Masters, he regressed badly for several months, until a sixth-place finish at the Scottish Open and T16 at the Open Championship. He's a good player, but would it be entirely shocking if he has an off week? Not at all. The last veteran to make the team is Matt Fitzpatrick. His performance at Royal Portrush, playing in the last group on Saturday and finishing in the top five, was a very loud announcement that the Englishman is back. Over the previous three months, he has been sixth in the world in strokes gained, and it's not weighted toward one particular category. Overall, he's been very efficient. All four of these players have earned their spots, and you'll take the risk because of the potential. If two or three (or four) all struggle and you lose the cup, that'll be unfortunate, but you can live with it because you still gave yourself the best chance to win. That leaves just one spot and a handful of contenders. Nicolai Højgaard is powerful off the tee and trending in a positive direction. Thomas Detry won in Phoenix earlier this year against a good field. If you're looking strictly at current form, then Harry Hall and Aaron Rai must be on the long list. Advertisement There's also Sergio Garcia. He's a Ryder Cup legend, no doubt. He caught fire for a month, winning LIV Hong Kong and backing it up with two top fives. But nothing in the last three months has approached that level of play, making him an unnecessary reach and potential liability. No, I'm going with Rasmus Højgaard. While he'll be the lone Ryder Cup rookie on this team, he was a part of things in Rome. When twin brother Nicolai made it, Donald invited Rasmus to come and have a role, to be around the team room as much as he desired. It's an example of an approach to leadership that builds buy-in and continuity, taking what could be an awkward situation and making it as comfortable as possible. Two years later, Rasmus is the brother who's seventh in the Ryder Cup points standings, with enough positive results that he cannot be ignored. Do we expect him to be a killer? No. But he'll do his job, and another true driver of the golf ball is the final piece that Europe needs. (Illustration: Eamonn Dalton / The Athletic; Photos: David Cannon, Richard Heathcote / Getty Images; Zac Goodwin / PA Images via Getty Images; Stuart Franklin / R&A via Getty Images)
