Rory McIlroy came inches away from achieving one of golf’s rarest feats during a previous visit to the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
The Northern Irishman’s efforts on the 18th hole this week saw him produce his ‘worst shot ever’ – a far cry from his albatross attempt nearly ten years ago just down the road.
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McIlroy is leading the Race to DubaiCredit: Getty
McIlroy is back in Abu Dhabi, aiming to secure his first victory in his 12th appearance at the event, as the Race to Dubai play-offs begin at Yas Links.
The 36-year-old has finished runner-up at the tournament four times, alongside another three third-place spots.
The World No.2 lost out by a single stroke in 2012, 2014 and 2015, but the UAE capital remains the location of his first professional hole-in-one.
In 2016, McIlroy almost went one step further with a moment that would have changed golf’s record books and not just his own.
read more on Rory McIlroyRory McIlroy’s Near-Albatross
During a fog-delayed second-round at Abu Dhabi Golf Club, the now-Masters champion was struggling for rhythm and one over when play was suspended.
McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and, eventual winner, Rickie Fowler were tasked with completing five holes on Saturday morning due to darkness.
Pars came on the 14th and 15th for McIlroy, before a short birdie miss at 16 with golf fans not anticipating anything special.
However, McIlroy birdied the penultimate hole and then, on the par-five 18th, a sensational 268-yard second tee shot almost dropped in.
McIlroy, who sighed and puffed out his cheeks as his ball rolled agonisingly away, dealt with the tap-in eagle putt.
“I needed that,” McIlroy told reporters afterwards. “I could not hole a putt from outside two feet, so I thought I would hit a couple inside two feet!
“I said to JP (Fitzgerald, his ex-caddie) on the 17th tee, ‘Let’s finish three, three’. So I don’t know if I should say I need 18 threes on the first tee.
“I knew 18 was a good chance and 17 was downwind, so I’d be going in with a wedge, but I didn’t quite expect to do what I did on 18. That was nice.
“It glossed over a pretty average round to be fair.
“But when you are not at your best, to be able to come away with a 70 and keep in touch with the leaders, I’m happy with that.”
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McIlroy has still never achieved golf’s ultra-rare feat, with 2016 his closest attemptCredit: GettyWhat is an Albatross in golf, and why is it so rare?
An albatross, or double eagle, is a score of three under par on a single hole.
It is typically achieved via a two on a par-5, like McIlroy came within a whisker of achieving in 2016, or with a hole-in-one on a par-4.
An ace remains golf’s holy grail, but an albatross is far rarer, as it usually requires two perfect shots rather than just one.
How many albatrosses have been made in majors?
The ‘shot heard around the world’ from Gene Sarazen was famously the albatross he recorded on the 15th hole at the 1935 Masters.
Since then, there have been 18 double eagles made across the four majors, with Patrick Reed the most recent at the US Open in June.
McIlroy, who completed golf’s Grand Slam with victory at the Masters earlier this year, has still not joined such an exclusive club in his career.
He would love to change that at Yas Links this week to cap off a remarkable year with yet another landmark moment.
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Reed made an albatross on the 622-yard, par-5 4th, only the fourth in US Open historyCredit: Getty
Recorded albatrosses in major tournaments
The Masters
Gene Sarazen – 1935Bruce Devlin – 1967Jeff Maggert – 1994Louis Oosthuizen – 2012
US Open
TC Chen – 1985 Oakland Hills 1985Shaun Micheel – 2010 Pebble BeachNick Watney – 2012 Olympic ClubPatrick Reed – 2025 Oakmont
The Open
Young Tom Morris – 1870 PrestwickJohnny Miller – 1972 MuirfieldBill Rogers – 1983 BirkdaleManny Zerman – 2000 St AndrewsJeff Maggert – 2001 LythamGreg Owen – 2001 LythamGary Evans – 2004 TroonPaul Lawrie – 2009 Turnberry
PGA Championship
Darrell Kestner – 1993 Inverness ClubPer-Ulrik Johansson – 1995 RivieraJoey Sindelar – 2006 Medinah