Rory McIlroy loses clubhead in eventful BMW PGA first round

VIRGINIA WATER, England — Rory McIlroy lost the clubhead on his 9-iron and then lost the lead by going out of bounds on the last hole in shooting an eventful 5-under 67 in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship on Thursday.

The No. 3-ranked McIlroy bounced back well from the pain of being denied victory at his home Irish Open last week, overcoming a bizarre incident on the par-5 No. 12 when the head of his 9-iron detached from the shaft 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 settle inside 7 feet from the pin to set up one of his seven birdies.

“It was a bit of a weird feeling,” McIlroy said. “Obviously you’re expecting the weight of the club to just pull through and there was nothing there.”

Have you ever seen this before? 🤯

Rory McIlroy’s club head comes off after impact…#BMWPGA | #RolexSeries pic.twitter.com/eaF51JCvBy

— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 19, 2024

McIlroy got the 9-iron fixed and had it back in the bag by the 16th hole, ahead of two par 5s that complete the West Course at Wentworth. He made par at No. 17 despite hooking his drive into the trees. He dropped a shot at the last when he hit his second shot to the right of the green and into the trees, the ball eventually reaching a pathway that was out of bounds.

A bogey dropped McIlroy out of a share of the clubhouse lead that was held by Niklas Norgaard of Denmark with a few hours left in the first round. Norgaard, who won the British Masters this month for his first European tour title, birdied four of his last eight holes for a 66.

McIlroy was playing four days after a runner-up finish at the Irish Open to Rasmus Hojgaard, who closed with three straight birdies to beat the local hero on Sunday.

“The nice thing about disappointments is that if you have something in this next week, it’s nice to keep busy and keep your mind focused on something else,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy, 35, was in a tie for second in a group that contained fellow Ryder Cup players Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre as well as Victor Perez of France, who also bogeyed No. 18 — after hitting his second into the water in front of the green — to drop out of the lead.

Grant Forrest of Scotland was 6 under after eight holes, but his round stalled and he also found the water at the last for a double-bogey 7 to shoot 68.