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Watch Rory McIlroy take on the par-3 17th at TPC Sawgrass … blindfolded?!?

March 5, 2020

With one practice swing, in the dark of night, while wearing a light-green sleep mask, Rory McIlroy can still hit the ball straight.

It does affect his length by about five yards.

In videos posted to The Players Championship’s and PGA Tour’s Twitter accounts,, McIlroy and TV personality Carson Daly played the famed island-green 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass under the lights as a promotion for next week’s tournament. Daly, who worked with McIlroy on “The Rory & Carson Podcast” last year, hit his shot to within about 25 feet of the 132-yard par-3, while McIlroy, the event’s defending champ, hit his to within about 10 feet.

Out came the sleep mask.

“All right, that was too easy,” Daly told the world’s top-ranked player. “Let’s try it with a blindfold this time.”

Within a second of hitting the ball, McIlroy knew where the ball was going. 

On line. But just short. Splash.   

“At least they go straight,” joked McIlroy, who birdied the hole the first two days of last year’s tournament and parred it on Saturday and Sunday on his way to the title. 

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