Rory McIlroy is one of the golfers in the world who are capable of pulling off the extraordinary and Brandel Chamblee has claimed McIlroy did just that at Bay Hill.
McIlroy came in at two under for his opening round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational as he produced some stunning shots along the way.
Golf fans lauded a bunker shot from McIlroy, while some of his iron play and shots off the tee were excellent.
Indeed, McIlroy caught the eye with one particular long iron on the sixth hole. The Northern Irishman propelled his iron shot over 250 yards and into the heart of the green to set up an eagle chance.
And discussing that particular shot, Brandel Chamblee has said he’s never seen anything like it.
Rory McIlroy stuns Brandel Chamblee with ‘next level’ shot at The Arnold Palmer
Speaking for the Golf Channel after seeing McIlroy come home in 70, Chamblee got into assessing the specifics of McIlroy’s round.
And getting to his stunning shot on six, Chamblee said he’d never seen a better shot hit.
“Look from day one when I’ve been asked about Rory, I don’t worry about his driving, the chipping, I don’t even worry about the putting. And it’s not that I worry about the iron play, but if he’s top five, top ten in strokes gained approach, there’s no limit to what he can do this year, no limit.
“He’s won a couple of majors in one year year, yes, but I think a five, six, seven win like Scottie Scheffler, he’s got to his great iron shots.
“His iron play has been solid. But this (the shot on six) was next level. I’ve never seen a better shot on there in all the years watching this tournament.”
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Rory McIlroy names the most difficult part of Bay Hill
With winds howling at Bay Hill in round one, those going out early got the brunt of the problems and the likes of Scottie Scheffler were pleased to come in just under par.
As for McIlroy, well, he admitted the tight fairways and the thick rough proved a problem, along with those winds.
“I think just crosswinds,” McIlroy said when asked about the most challenging part of the course.
“The fairways are quite narrow, and when you miss them, you’re in that thick rough, and it just, you lose all control of your golf ball from there, and you’re just hoping for a good lie to get it up somewhere near the green. I think the crosswinds were the most difficult part today.”
With round two already under way, McIlroy will be hoping for more world-class shots to put himself in contention for the weekend.
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