If anyone doubted whether Rory McIlroy was going to be able to bounce back from the disappointment of how the Irish Open finished last week, those doubts have surely been put to bed by his performance on Thursday at the BMW PGA Championship.
Rory McIlroy produced a superb opening round at Wentworth to give himself a phenomenal chance of winning the BMW PGA Championship for the very first time.
Of course, there were once again questions about McIlroy heading into the week. The 35-year-old missed out on the Irish Open title last week after seemingly having the tournament within his grasp.
McIlroy insisted that he was not as disappointed about the Irish Open as some may think. And he was outstanding on Thursday – even in some trying circumstances.
What Rory McIlroy said when his club head came off at the BMW PGA Championship
McIlroy was four under par heading onto the par five 12th hole; and standing in the fairway, he appeared to have a decent chance to make at least a birdie, with the Northern Irishman 178 yards from the pin ahead of his second shot.
It was suggested on Sky Sports that the four-time major champion probably had an eight-iron in his hands. But soon enough, that eight-iron head would find itself 50 yards further down the fairway.
As McIlroy came through impact, the club head snapped off his club and flew off. Remarkably, the shot itself found the putting surface, kicking down to about 12 feet, leaving McIlroy with an eagle putt.
Unsurprisingly, the camera quickly switched to McIlroy’s reaction, and after a period of stunned silence, he could be heard saying: ‘They re-glued it at East Lake. No way!’
Meanwhile, those around him were clearly shocked, with one – potentially Ryan Fox – remarking, ‘I have never seen that in person’…
Remarkable incident could not stop Northern Irishman on day one
McIlroy would have to settle for a birdie after his eagle putt just missed. But it was almost just as impressive from there that he had absolutely no reservations about hitting his clubs with the same power. Obviously, the situation could have been incredibly dangerous had the club head come off during another part of his swing. And it seems incredible that he was still able to hit such an outstanding shot into the green.
He may have plenty of questions for TaylorMade with the clubs obviously looked at less than a month ago at The Tour Championship.
Thankfully, it did not cost him at all on Thursday.
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