Sometimes pros are just like us, and Rory McIlroy was a prime example of that during the third round of the Northern Trust.
Playing in an early morning pairing with Tiger Woods, McIlroy’s weekend got off to as good a start as he’d have hoped for as he birdied the opening hole. The par-5 2nd hole was not quite as kind.
McIlroy found the left rough with his drive and then slightly pushed his long approach shot into the green. The ball settled on a steep bank near a rock right of the green, but still, it was dry and playable. His next shot was not so fortunate.
With an awkward lie and stance, McIlroy tried to pop the ball up onto the green for a look at birdie. Instead, the ball ricocheted off the rock, popped into the air and shot backwards into the water. Sometimes, golf can be really hard — even for the best players in the world.
After his penalty stroke, things went from bad to worse. McIlroy dropped, pitched onto the green and proceeded to three-putt for a horrendous triple bogey. He did bounce back with a birdie on the following hole, but he made another triple bogey on the 6th to balloon his score to four over on the day.
Like we said, golf can be really hard.