Rory McIlroy completely blew a fuse after smashing a tee box marker to pieces at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
McIlroy had found himself out of sorts going into the eighth hole at Bay Hill, having just bogeyed on the seventh.
As he stood aboard the tee box, the frustration was boiling over for the 34-year-old – which did not help his subsequent first shot on the par-four hole.
And moments after letting loose from the tee, McIlroy was not happy with the direction his ball was heading.
With the ball still in the air, the Northern Irishman turned to the left tee box marker and looked like he was about to throw his club straight at it.
But as cameras picked up McIlroy’s ball in the rough, there was a loud crash as his ball was marked with a flag.
As the cameras returned to find the next golfer taking their tee shot, it became clear that McIlroy had smashed up the other tee box instead.
It lay in pieces, next to a busted-up microphone while a bad-tempered McIlroy had already moved on and left it behind.
The former world No. 1’s game did not pick up, either, as he went on to bogey the eighth as well.
He did manage to bring himself back into the fold on the back nine with six birdies to move to five under par for the tournament.
But he could not rival Scottie Scheffler, who maintained his own fine run to cruise to 66 on the final day to keep his opponents at arm’s length.
It saw him win by five shots on minus-15 for the tournament, with Wyndham Clark coming in second on minus-10.
McIlroy, meanwhile, trudged in at T21 after a round four that saw him finish the day four over par for a final score of minus-one.
It was a mixed week for the four-time major winner, as he also managed to drive the par-4 10th hole.
With The Masters coming up next month, Scheffler, who won at Augusta in 2022, is again in flying form and will be desperate to win his second Green Jacket.
McIlroy, though, might have to temper himself ahead of The Masters as he looks to complete a career grand slam at the tournament next month.
The Holyrood-born golfer has come close on several occasions, including in 2022 when he finished runners-up to Scheffler.
News Summary:
- Rollercoaster week for Rory McIlroy sees him smash tee box marker and hit historic drive during Arnold Palmer Invitational
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