
Baffled Rory McIlroy hits TWO balls with ONE shot in incredible never-seen-before incident at The Open
The Northern Irishman, 36, made a stunning start to his third round at Portrush with three birdies in his opening four holes.
Advertisement
2
Rory McIlroy hit two balls with one shot on the 11th hole
Credit: Sky Sports
2
He picked up the rogue ball that had been lost in the thick grass
Credit: Sky Sports
But on the par-4 11th hole, he somehow managed the bizarre feat.
McIlroy's drive drifted right of the fairway and landed in the heavy rough.
He played his second shot attempting to get it on the green.
But as he whacked his ball out of the thick grass, a second ball popped up from the undergrowth.
Advertisement
READ MORE ON THE OPEN
The rogue ball had been plugged in the grass and lost for goodness knows how long.
It then dropped in front of McIlroy and rolled into his foot as he watched his actual ball fly towards the green.
He looked down to see the unlikely intruder sitting there.
A baffled McIlroy picked up the ball and held it up to the crowd and his caddie.
Advertisement
Most read in Golf
CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
He said: 'I was on a golf ball.'
McIlroy then tossed the second ball into a bush.
Watch English golf star John Parry nail amazing first hole in one of The Open sparking wild celebrations on tee box
Unfortunately, he went on to drop a shot and record his first bogey of the round.
Advertisement
But McIlroy bounced back on the next hole to sink an eagle.
Golf fans on social media were all talking about the freak incident.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

The Journal
an hour ago
- The Journal
Ed Sheeran packs out Wexford town with a surprise gig at Fleadh Cheoil
ED SHEERAN MADE a surprise appearance at an Fleadh Cheoil in Wexford town this afternoon at the well-known Sky & The Ground pub. Massive crowds gathered on the streets of the south-east town today, hoping to catch a glimpse of the English singer, who frequently cites his Irish roots. He was joined by members of the Irish bands Biird and Amble and performed a number of his original songs as well as traditional Irish trad tunes. Ed Sheeran just rocked up to Wexford for a surprise gig 🎤👀 Ed showed up at Sky & The Ground and belted out a few tunes in front of a jam-packed pub 🍻🎶 Rumours had been flying all day - and for once, they were true! 😳 @warnermusicirl — Today FM 💛 (@TodayFM) August 5, 2025 Advertisement The Sky & the Ground quickly filled up this morning as the rumour mill ran wild in Wexford, leading to a full house at the pub this afternoon. Not wanting to leave anyone out, Sheeran made his way outside to perform an acoustic set for fans who could not make their way into the pub. Fair play…not wanting those outside The Sky & The Ground in #Wexford to feel cheated, Ed Sheeran went outside and did an acoustic/unplugged tune for the crowd gathered there. That's a big one for the Fleadh anyways…and it's only Tuesday! 😅 — Pádraig Byrne (@byrne_padraig) August 5, 2025 Caolán Barron, a member of the family who runs the pub, said they were delighted to welcome Sheeran today. He added that his mother had made up the spare room for him to stay and cook him a dinner – chicken curry – just in case he needed a feed. Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann, the annual traditional music and culture festival, continues until Sunday in Wexford town. Dozens of acts and events – ticketed and free – are still to follow throughout the rest of the week. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal


RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Rory McIlroy absence at the St Jude Championship has Tour considering FedEx Cup rule change
Rory McIlroy's decision to skip the first round of the FedEx playoffs this week has the PGA Tour considering a rule change when it comes to the three-event season-ending dash to the Tour Championship. With his spot near the top of the FedEx Cup points standings secure, McIlroy elected to skip this week's St Jude Championship at Memphis knowing that he has enough points to advance to the BMW Championship next week. The top 70 players in the points standings earn a spot in the play-offs with 20 eliminated before the BMW. The top 30 in the standings after the first two weeks of the play-offs advance to the Tour Championship at Atlanta from 21-24 August. McIlroy is the only tour player in the top 70 of the points standings who is not at Memphis this week. Peter Malnati, player director on the PGA Tour Policy Board, was asked about McIlroy's absence and expressed concern. "I think there is stuff in the works (about a rule change) and I'll leave it at that," Malnati said to Golf Week. It is unknown if a rule change would include a fine for non-participation or an elimination from the remainder of the playoffs all together. McIlroy, a three-time Tour Championship winner in 2016, 2019 and 2022, said as far back as last year that he would likely skip the St. Jude Championship if his place in the points standings was secure. He referenced a poor finish in the event last year that did not come close to stopping him from moving on the next round. Scottie Scheffler leads the FedEx Cup standings with 4,806 points, while McIlroy is second with 3,444. Spot number 50 currently is held by Australian Min Woo Lee at 851 points. Daniel Berger at 1,167 points occupies 30th spot. McIlroy has been mulling over a reduced PGA Tour schedule after also participating in events at Australia, Ireland, India and the United Arab Emirates this year. He also will represent Europe at the upcoming Ryder Cup.


Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Tralee girls shine but Ireland fall just short again Scots
Ireland Girls' captain Brenda Craig acknowledged a heroic from her players while the combined side fell just short against Scotland on the opening day of the R&A Boys' & Girls' Home Internationals in Cork. England lead the overall and Girls' standings following their comprehensive 13-8 victory over Wales, as Scotland defeated the hosts 11-10. However, Ireland are just one game point shy of the English in the Girls' standings, before they renew rivalries tomorrow. The combined Irish side had made a fast start and took a 4-3 lead after the morning foursomes against Scotland. Hannah Lee-McNamara and Zoe McLean-Tattan, Kate Dillon and Róisín Scanlon, and Tralee pair Lucy Grattan and Ella Moynihan all won their matches for a clean sweep for the Girls. Caelan Coleman and Harry O'Hara combined for an important point for the Boys. Scanlon and Dillon both won their singles matches in the afternoon and despite further wins for Isaac Oliver, William O'Riordan and John William Burke, Ireland came up just short. 'A little bit disappointed with the overall result but we still got 10 points which is a good start for everybody for the week,' said Craig. 'The girls had a really good day, three great wins in the foursomes this morning followed up with two wins and two halves this afternoon, so we won our Girls' section 6-3, absolutely delighted and looking forward now to England tomorrow. 'We would have preferred to keep the English game until Thursday but we have to play them at some stage so really looking forward to it. 'We beat them in the Girls' match in the Home Internationals last year, we beat them not so long ago in the quarter-finals of the Europeans, so looking forward to another great match tomorrow. First match out so the girls will be going out fresh and looking forward to it. 'Three new girls in and the two Tralee girls getting a super win this morning, and Ella Cantwell getting an absolutely fabulous half this afternoon, so our experienced girls and the new girls are mixing and blending really well. 'There's a long way to go and hopefully we're chatting tomorrow afternoon and I have another smile on my face.' England also impressed against Wales on Tuesday. Charlotte Naughton and Annabel Peaford were part of a 7&6 win, there were three 4&3 results in their favour too as England took a 5-2 lead from the morning foursomes. Naughton had another big 7&6 win in the afternoon, with Alex Boyes (6&5) and Aaron Moody (8&7) also shining. 'We had a really good start in the foursomes, so that's always good to get a couple of points on the board because that's always difficult,' said England captain India Clyburn. 'This afternoon in the singles, we had some good battles out there, hard-fought matches to the end, and some good comebacks from the matches that we did lose, but all really good.'