Rory McIlroy began his third round at Bethpage Black 15 shots behind leader Brooks Koepka and out of contention, but the four-time major champion made an early move up the leaderboard with an eagle at No. 4. A few holes later, McIlroy may have received a karmic payoff with a clutch par at the 11th after interrupting his setup to move a bug out of harm’s way.
As McIlroy was lining up his putt, he noticed a tiny bug a few feet away from his ball. McIlroy picked up the bug and moved him into the middle of the green, well away from the hole.
The rough probably would have been a safer destination, as there are still dozens of golfers behind McIlroy who will be aiming for the 11th green, but it’s the thought that counts.
Rory went on to drill the putt, but played the back nine at 2-over par to move to 2-over for the tournament.
