Golf has the capability to throw up some weird and unusual moments and, at the Crown Australian Open on Saturday, it did just that.
Rory McIlroy, who is the headline act at Royal Melbourne, had already endured an odd second round where he produced an air shot, but he perhaps wasn’t prepared for what was to come on Saturday.
Parring his opening hole, the five-time Major winner went right with his tee shot at the 466-yard second, with his golf ball coming to rest in a bush and under a banana peel.
Sitting in a grassy clump, the banana skin was wrapped over the golf ball, making it impossible to move without a penalty.
In the end, McIlroy was forced to hack out and make double bogey, with five birdies over his final 10 holes meaning he signed for a three-under 68 and a five-under tournament total, which puts him nine back of leader Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Speaking after his round, McIlroy stated: “It was sort of a double whammy – it was in the tough grass, and under a banana skin…
“It’s a loose impediment and it was resting on the ball so, if I moved the banana peel, the ball would have moved so I just didn’t even try. I mean, I shouldn’t have been there in the first place, but, yeah, I wasn’t the best to start.”
The banana skin was only one of a few bizarre moments from McIlroy’s week, as the 36-year-old made an air shot on the 14th hole on Friday. Thankfully, for the World No.2, he was able to birdie three of his final four holes to make the cut.
Going into Sunday, Neergaard-Petersen leads at 14-under, with Si Woo Kim, Carlos Ortiz and home hero, Cameron Smith, two shots back at 12-under-par.
Jose Luis Ballester, who claimed the PIF Saudi International a fortnight ago, is 11-under, while Daniel Hillier, Adam Scott and Min Woo Lee are 10-under, four back of Neergaard-Petersen, who is searching for a maiden DP World Tour title.
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