Frustrated McIlroy tosses club into water at Doral

07 March 2015 01:01

World number one Rory McIlroy's frustration spectacularly boiled over on Friday as he hurled his three-iron into the water after plunking a shot into a pond at Doral.

McIlroy, who will try to complete a career Grand Slam and win his third major title in a row at next month's Masters, has been off to a shaky start in his final push to Augusta National.

He opened his European Tour campaign with a runner-up finish and a win last month in Dubai, but missed the cut in his 2015 US PGA Tour debut at the Honda Classic before teeing it up in this elite World Golf Championships event.

After a first-round 73, McIlroy opened with back-to-back birdies on Friday, but his tee shot at the third found a watery grave and he missed a five-foot par putt at the par-3 fourth, although a 24-foot birdie putt at the seventh appeared to right the ship.

But at the par-5 eighth, McIlroy's second shot sailed left and splashed down into the water, where it was soon joined by McIlroy's club, which spun like a helicopter until vanishing into the briny deep.

"Frustration got the better of me," McIlroy said. "I've sort of been fighting that miss basically for the last couple of weeks."

McIlroy stressed he didn't think the behavior -- which is rare for the Northern Irishman -- was anything to be proud of.

"It felt good at the time, but right now I regret it," he said. "I walked away with a bogey and I was able to regroup and shoot a decent score."

After swallowing his bogey at the eighth, McIlroy opened the back nine with a birdie and picked up another at the par-5 12th.

He found a greenside bunker at 14 and missed another five-footer for par on the way to a bogey, but bounced back at 17, sinking a 21-foot birdie putt before closing with a par.

His one-under 70 left him tied for 11th on one-under 143, eight shots behind second-round leader J.B. Holmes.

McIlroy may have been feeling sheepish about his petulant gesture, but popular pro John Daly, a two-time major winner playing this week in the US PGA Tour event in Puerto Rico, took to Twitter to offer light-hearted support.

"@McIlroyRory, ur #1 in golf & I am #1 in club throwing -- only 798 throws away from catching me on the PGA tour! #showsucare," Daly wrote.

While McIlroy said last week as he prepared for the Honda Open that he was eager to shoulder the burden of being golf's man to beat, the episode is sure to spark questions over whether he's feeling the pressure of his high profile.

Golf Channel reported McIlroy will play Augusta National next week with a celebrity playing partner -- New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, who won his fourth Super Bowl title last month.

Source: AFP