So, this was weird: Rory McIlroy, playing his second shot from the rough on the 11th at Royal Portrush in Round 3 of the British Open, somehow managed to unearth another ball in mid-swing. Seriously, look at this:
Here’s another look:
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.
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.)
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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.