Rory McIlroy is experiencing a wild ride in Majors this year and that continued in a bizarre moment at The Open when he hit two balls with one shot during his third round.
The 36-year-old played his second shot on the 11th at Royal Portrush out of the rough and safely onto the fairway, only for a ball buried beneath his own to pop up and land at his feet as he completed his swing.
What are the chances?! 😂pic.twitter.com/VHGNt45DOVJuly 19, 2025
Watch it. Watch it again. pic.twitter.com/I48KVCk80bJuly 19, 2025
The Northern Irishman, who remains in contention for his second Open title, saw the funny side of the astonishing incident, laughing in amazement before picking the ball up and tossing into a bush. However, his mood would have been dampened by going on to make his first bogey of the day at the par-4 to slip back to five under for the tournament.
Per Golfweek’s Adam Schupak, the incredible moment also led to a lucky fan picking up the rogue ball as a souvenir. He wrote all X: “This is Harry Bingham and he got quite the souvenir at the 11th at Portrush. When Rory hit from the right rough, a second ball emerged that must have been embedded near it. Wild stuff.”
This is Harry Bingham and he got quite the souvenir at the 11th at Portrush. When Rory hit from the right rough, a second ball emerged that must have been embedded near it. Wild stuff. @golfweek pic.twitter.com/AEkcFBfF6uJuly 19, 2025
Wild indeed, and McIlroy’s incredible day continued with an eagle at the very next hole as he moved to five shots behind leader Scottie Scheffler.
Perhaps equally as astonishing as McIlroy hitting two balls at once is the fact that it is not the first time it has happened to a high-profile player. A similar incident took place in 2011 when Jose María Olazabal was playing in the Johnnie Walker Championship in Scotland that August.
The Spaniard’s ball landed in the rough at the 11th at Gleneagles. However, it had come to rest on top of another ball without his knowledge, leading to him hitting both balls with his next shot. That wouldn’t have been a problem for Olazabal, with no penalty incurred as he made a stroke at his own ball. However, he then mistakenly played the wrong ball, which did land him with a two-stroke penalty.
The moment involving McIlroy continued an incident-packed Major season for the star. After a dramatic and nerve-shredding win at April’s Masters to complete the career Grand Slam, his euphoria turned to frustration at the PGA Championship when a subdued performance was overshadowed by the news that he had been forced into a driver change before the Quail Hollow tournament.
McIlroy’s indifferent form continued at the US Open, which included him launching a club and smashing a tee marker at Oakmont, before he later tossed his club onto his bag only to see it bounce back into his hands.
