Rory McIlroy was at the centre of a bizarre moment during his third round at The Open as the local hero accidentally hit a buried ball while taking a shot from the rough
17:58, 19 Jul 2025Updated 18:36, 19 Jul 2025
Rory McIlroy during the third round The 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush(Image: Mike Egerton/PA Wire)
Rory McIlroy found himself at the centre of an odd occurrence during The Open on Saturday, when he inadvertently struck a hidden ball while playing his shot on the 11th hole.
The Northern Irishman veered into the rough following his tee shot on the challenging Par-4 but was fortunate to find a favourable lie despite his errant drive.
Armed with an iron, the five-time major champion unleashed a shot from the rough, only for a second ball, previously concealed deep in the dense grass, to emerge and drop near his feet as his own ball soared through the air, reports the Irish Mirror.
McIlroy appeared bemused upon discovering the extra ball, before casually tossing it aside and chuckling at the peculiar event.
His second stroke fell short of the green, leading to a slip back to five-under in the tournament after failing to recover with an up-and-down.
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Shane Lowry, another Irish golfing luminary, also encountered misfortune as his chances of retaining his Portrush title dwindled on Saturday, largely due to a stomach bug that severely affected him.
Lowry spent over 10 minutes on the 9th fairway, battling the symptoms of his ailment. He shared his discomfort, saying, “Honestly, every bathroom I went in and tried to throw up, I couldn’t,” revealing the distressing nature of his condition.
“It’s just such a bad feeling.”
He reflected on the impact of his illness on his performance, noting, “I think my lack of energy towards the end maybe did me in. Look, I don’t want to make excuses. It is what it is. It’s just really bad timing obviously.
“Honestly, I was hoping to shoot 1-under par, and I got there today on 13, but 14 was playing hard today. I knew, if I could make par there, I could shoot maybe 2-under, 3-under. Then disaster on 14. Yeah, it is what it is.
“The annoying thing for me today is I didn’t get to enjoy today as much as I would have liked. Saturday at The Open in your home country, I should enjoy it a lot more than I did, just because of how I felt.
“Hopefully I get out tomorrow morning and try and enjoy it as best I can, try to shoot the best score I can, and then have a couple weeks off before the playoffs.
“For me, my big mindset for the next few months is about the Ryder Cup and trying to win that. That’s where all my work is going towards over the next while.”