VIRGINIA WATER, England — Rory McIlroy lost a clubhead on his 9-iron and lost the lead with a bogey on the final hole to shoot a 5-under 67 in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship on Thursday.
No. 3-ranked McIlroy bounced back from the pain of being denied a home win at the Irish Open last week, overcoming a strange incident on No. 5. 12 when the head of his 9 iron left the hole and flew down the fairway after McIlroy took his second shot.
The Northern Irishman said he didn’t even see the ball reach the green and stayed within 7 feet of the pin to stop one of his seven birdies.
“It was a strange feeling,” McIlroy said. “Obviously you’re expecting the weight of the club to just pull and there was nothing there.”
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Rory McIlroy’s club head comes off after impact…#BMWPGA | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/eaF51JCvBy
– DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 19, 2024
McIlroy settled for a 9-iron and put it back in the bag on the 16th hole, before the two par 5s that complete the West Course at Wentworth. He averaged No. 17 despite connecting his drive to the trees. He dropped a shot at the end when he hit his second shot to the right of the green and into the trees, the ball ended up in the fairway that was out of bounds.
The bogey dropped McIlroy from the clubhouse lead held by Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard with hours remaining in the first round. Norgaard, who won the British Masters this month for his first European Tour title, birdied four of the last eight holes for a 66.
McIlroy was playing four days after finishing runner-up at the Irish Open to Rasmus Hojgaard, who reeled off three straight birdies to defeat the local champion on Sunday.
“The good thing about being disappointed is if you have something next week, it’s good to stay busy and keep your mind on something else,” McIlroy said.
McIlroy, 35, was tied for second in a group that included Ryder Cup teammates Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre and France’s Victor Perez, who also played No. 18 — after hitting second in the water in front of the green — out of the lead.
Scotland’s Grant Forrest was 6 under through eight holes, but his round stalled and he found the water again at the end of a double-bogey 7 to shoot 68.
