NBC broadcasters initially assumed that McIlroy had simply made a mistake and accidentally destroyed the club. However, when McIlroy never attempted to replace the club, it became clear that McIlroy destroyed the club out of anger.

Under Rule 4.1a(2), “if a conforming club is damaged during a round or while play is stopped under Rule 5.7a, except in cases of misuse, the player may repair it or replace it with another club.” The “except in cases of misuse” applies here, as McIlroy must have admitted breaking the club in anger, preventing him from replacing it.

But before all that could happen, McIlroy had to play at No. 9. His ball was just above the creek on the right bank, meaning that as a right-handed player he had to go into the creek to hit the ball.

He took off his shoes, rolled up his trouser legs and stepped into the stream.

McIlroy first went clubless, with caddie Harry Diamond on hand to give his boss his favorite weapon. McIlroy had 137 yards up the hill and into the wind, meaning he would have a tough time stopping the ball on the shallow green.

Finally, Diamond clubbed McIlroy as the four-time major winner struggled to find his footing in the rushing water. After about 65 seconds, he landed on a rock with his front foot out of the water and his back foot submerged.

Finally, McIlroy struck, mostly with his upper body, and the ball flew away. It landed right behind the pin, which stunned the broadcasters. It finished 27 feet from the hole.

“What did you think of that shot?”

“Real?”

“That must have been in the air for a long time.”

NBC’s cameras continued to follow McIlroy as he put his socks back on, but then walked out onto the field and put his shoes back on.

A few minutes later, McIlroy was back on the broadcast, standing on dry land, his feet back in his Nikes, ready to hit the birdie putt.

It followed the track exactly in the middle, but stopped four inches short.

McIlroy collapsed and sighed in frustration.

“A golfer thinks he’s going to be mad that he didn’t make birdie,” Curt Byrum said.

Jack Hirsch

Golf.com Editor

Jack Hirsh is an assistant editor at GOLF. Originally from Pennsylvania, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, where he earned degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program to serve as head coach. Jack also *still* tries to stay competitive in local amateurs. Prior to GOLF, Jack worked for two years at a TV station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a multimedia journalist/reporter, but also as a producer, anchor, and even a weather presenter. He can be reached at [email protected].