Rory McIlroy delivered a priceless bit of live commentary as PGA Tour star Jimmy Walker snapped his putter on Friday.
McIlroy joined Golf Channel in the booth after putting himself in contention at the Texas Open with a second-round 70.
The world no.2 spoke to anchor Smylie Kaufman as part of the ‘Happy Hour’ segment, doubling up as a co-commentator and offering live insights on the action.
He was put in a potentially awkward position when major winner Walker missed a short putt at the eighth and pulled the head off his putter, seemingly by accident.
McIlroy was commenting on how the wind affected the stroke before stopping mid-sentence and saying: “Oh. Oh.”
He then added: “We’ve all been there.”
READ MORE ON RORY MCILROY
Kaufman interjected: “I must say, of the things I expected to happen just then, I don’t think I expected the club to snap in half. What about you Rors?”
Thinking quickly, McIlroy came up with the perfect response.
“I didn’t know Jimmy was that strong!” the Northern Irishman joked.
The broadcast did not return to Walker’s round and it is not clear how the American solved the problem, which occurred with ten holes left to play.
Players are allowed to compete with damaged equipment or even repair it mid-round, but they cannot use replacements.
Golfers can often be seen using their 3-wood on the greens after irreparable damage to their putters.
Walker did make a 16-foot birdie putt on the following hole, which suggests he managed to put the club back together.
McIlroy, meanwhile, is fifth and six shots back of leader Akshay Bhatia going into the weekend.
The Texas Open is the final PGA Tour event before the Masters begins on April 11, when McIlroy makes his latest bid to complete the career grand slam and end his ten-year major drought.
“I’ve only made one bogey over two days, which I’m really pleased with,” said McIlroy, who opened with a round of 69 on Thursday.
“Would have been nice to make a few more birdies, but pretty happy with the last two days.”
You can hear live commentary of the Texas Open on talkSPORT 2!
The Masters: Betting with talkSPORT BET
Scottie Scheffler – 4/1
Rory McIlroy – 11/1
Jon Rahm – 12/1
Xander Schauffele – 18/1
Brooks Koepka – 20/1
Hideki Matsuyama – 20/1
Jordan Speith – 22/1
Ludvig Aberg – 28/1
Joaquin Neimann – 28/1
Wyndham Clark – 28/1
Bar – 30/1
talkSPORT BET Golf Offer
Bet £10 Get £10 In Free Bets
T&Cs: 18+ New customers only. Opt in & bet £10+ on any sport at 2.00+ odds within 7 days. No Cash out. Get £10 Free Bets on any sports market. Free bets expire in 7 days. T&Cs apply, see below. BeGambleAware.org | Please gamble responsibly
News Summary:
- Rory McIlroy gives priceless reaction as golfer snaps putter while he’s commentating
- Check all news and articles from the latest Golf updates.