Rory McIlroy once threw his 3-wood in frustration at the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon and broke it, and there was that time at the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral when he angrily threw his club in the lake on the eighth hole, but the club damage that happened on Thursday during the DP World Tour’s BMW Championship was not his fault.
Playing his second shot on the par-5 12th hole at the Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, hit an iron shot from the fairway and as the ball rose into the air, the head of his club flew off the end of the shaft and tumbled down the fairway.
As McIlroy looked on in shock and disbelief at seeing the club break, the ball landed on a mound to the right of the hole, kicked left and wound up about 10 feet from the cup.
McIlroy missed the putt for eagle but made birdie on the hole.
He clearly did not break the club in frustration or anger, so the Rules of Golf would allow him to replace it during the round.
Irons are attached to golf shafts using very strong epoxies. During the television broadcast, McIlroy could be heard saying all his irons were “re-glued” at last month’s Tour Championship at the East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.
It’s very possible McIlroy will be able to take the clubhead that flew down the fairway to a builder and have it reattached to a shaft that matches his specifications. Repairing and rebuilding the club could easily be done before the start of McIlroy’s round on Friday.