Watch The Bizarre Moment Rory McIlroy’s Clubhead Flies Off At BMW PGA Championship
Rory McIlroy suffered a freak incident at the BMW PGA Championship when the head came flying off one of his clubs just after hitting a shot
Rory McIlroy had a bit of a shock at the BMW PGA Championship when he smacked another crisp iron at Wentworth only to see the head come flying off his club.
The Northern Irishman hit a beautiful second shot on the par-five 12th at Wentworth, which found the green and set him up for an eagle putt just inside 10 feet.
The shot was even more remarkable given that McIlroy suffered a shock when he ended up with an iron in his hands missing the head.
Caddie Harry Diamond was then seen looking bemused as he studied the club and the head and wondering just what had gone on.
McIlroy, who also had to use the back of his putter to play a left-handed shot during his eventful round, signed for a five-under 67 to get off to a great start in the DP World Tour's flagship event.
"I don't think it's ever happened to me before," said McIlroy. "Obviously a very weird feeling through impact. I looked up and the club head caught my eye instead of the golf ball. So I completely lost where the golf ball was. Didn't know where it went.
"But I was just looking somewhere around the green and saw the ball fall just right of the pin and go up there and go pretty close.
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"Fortunately, it didn't impact the shot too much. But I got it repaired and had it back on 16. Thankfully didn't need it for any of the holes in between.
"It was just one of those things. I hit 9-iron on the ninth hole, and I looked at it and looked at if the barrel was coming loose, but it was actually the head detaching from the shaft.
"Yeah, it was a bit of a weird feeling. I hit, and you know, obviously you're expecting the weight of the club to just pull through and there was nothing there."
After a trademark McIlroy drive, he was left with just 178 yards to the flag on the 12th, so it was only a short iron that he had coming in - but it was left even shorter after the head came flying off.
McIlroy still managed to play a brilliant shot, and was then in stitches laughing down the fairway as he walked to collect the missing piece of his club with a huge smile on his face.
"I only got all my irons re-glued at East Lake," McIlroy told TV commentator Wayne Riley as he chuckled along with a group of onlookers following the bizarre incident.
Watch below for the clip that's sure to be played again and again over the next few days...
Have you ever seen this before? 🤯Rory McIlroy's club head comes off after impact...#BMWPGA | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/eaF51JCvBySeptember 19, 2024
McIlroy did not make the eagle putt but it was a simple two-putt birdie as he continued a fine start to his first round on Thursday.
McIlroy handed the club over to a referee on the 13th tee, with it then no doubt being whisked off to the TaylorMade tour truck to get fixed - as he's allowed to make repairs to any club that's damaged during the round.
McIlroy's mysterious clubhead malfunction took most of the headlines away from him also having to use the back of his putter and play left handed on the eighth hole.
"Hopefully no more left-handed this week," he added. "Yeah, it was up against the sort of collar there where that water hazard is on the 8th hole, and didn't really have a stance hitting it right-handed.
"Hit a left-handed putt. Did a decent job. At least I got the speed pretty much correct. I didn't get the line right, but knocked that one in, made par and very swiftly moved to the 9th tee, pretty happy."
Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website. Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush.
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