Rory McIlroy counted his lucky stars after pulling off a memorable birdie in Atlanta which left fans gobsmacked – and his rival laughing.
The Northern Irishman found an unlikely ally as he completed the outlandish move on the final hole of the first round of the Tour Championship.
McIlroy had found himself in a tricky spot to set up the birdie – a green-side bunker.
And he may have been fearing the worst when he overcooked the shot and watched it fly well beyond where he wanted to end up.
But in a stroke of fortune, the grandstand seating area came to his rescue as the ball rebounded off it and back down towards the hole.
From there, he was able to pull off a simple finishing shot and let out a wry smile – while onlooker Scottie Scheffler could only chuckle at his rival’s fortuitous move.
Rory McIlroy shanked his shot into the grandstand – but a lucky ricochet set him up for a birdie
The Norhtern Irishman could scarcely believe his luck after pulling off the shot combo
Some on social media had a light-hearted response to what they had seen.
‘Loved this shot, it was a Happy Gilmore kinda shot,’ said one viewer on X.
‘Loved watching the camaraderie between #1 and #2 today. Hope we see more of them together on Sat and Sun!’ another said.
But others were more bitter, believing McIlroy did not deserve his success, and pulled out woe-is-me tales about their own comparative misfortune.
‘I’d love to see a rule that states if you hit the grandstands it’s a one stroke penalty or that ball has to be placed in a spot that is nearly an impossible up and down,’ one commented.
‘There is no “luck” if there’s no grandstand there. Luck is a ball hitting a rock and staying dry rather than water. Not clanking off a man made grandstand that isn’t there 361 days of the year to help other golfers,’ another said.
‘What nonsense. In any other form of golf without stands you are buried in the rough. If you hit the stands, you should get a drop, not a putt for birdie,’ one wrote.
‘If that was me that would’ve been a bogey or a double cause I don’t have a backboard lol,’ said another.
One chimed in: ‘I honestly think it’s easier to score on Tour than just playing regular. Someone always finds your ball, you can bank it off the grandstand and still get relief, and if you shank it, the gallery has always trampled down the rough and you get an amazing lie’.
McIlroy came in four under par for the day on 66.
The winner of the four-day tournament will claim almost £7.5million in prize money and lift the FedEx Cup, the trophy for the PGA Tour season as a whole.
