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Rory McIlroy loses clubhead in eventful first round of BMW PGA

September 19, 2024, 11:41 a.m. ET

VIRGINIA WATER, England – Rory McIlroy lost the clubhead of his 9-iron and with it a chance to take the first-round lead by hitting out of bounds on the final hole during an eventful 5-under-par 67-stroke match at the BMW PGA Championship on Thursday.

Third-seeded McIlroy entered the European Tour's flagship event two shots behind 363rd-seeded Matthew Baldwin, who led after recovering well from the pain of being denied victory at his home Irish Open tennis tournament last week.

McIlroy had already hit a rare backhand putt next to a water hazard to help save a par on the 8th hole when he had a bizarre incident on the par-5 12th hole in which the clubhead of his 9-iron came off the shaft and flew across the fairway after McIlroy hit his second shot.

The Northern Irishman said he didn't even see the ball hit the green and landed less than 7 feet from the pin, giving him one of his seven birdies.

“It was a little bit of a weird feeling,” McIlroy said. “Of course you expect the weight of the club to just come through, but there was nothing.”

McIlroy repaired the 9-iron and had it back in the bag on the 16th hole, facing two par 5s that complete the West Course at Wentworth. He made par on the 17th hole despite his drive being hit into the trees, but dropped a shot on the final hole when he hit his second shot into the trees to the right of the green, and the ball eventually found a path that was OB.

Due to a bogey, McIlroy lost the lead he shared at that time with Dane Niklas Norgaard (66), who won the British Masters this month and thus his first title on the European Tour.

Baldwin was one of the starters in the afternoon and outperformed Norgaard with a birdie on hole 18 to complete his bogey-free 65.

With a shared 12th place finish at the Czech Masters last month and a shared 18th place finish at the British Masters, the unknown Baldwin returned to form after missing the cut four times in a row in June and July.

“It's been wonderful,” said the Englishman. “I feel like my game has been pretty good for a while and to actually translate it into a performance is nice.”

Thomas Detry, who also played in the afternoon, shot 66 and shared second place with Norgaard.

Four days after his second place at the Irish Open, McIlroy played against Rasmus Hojgaard, who defeated the local hero with three birdies in a row on Sunday.

“The nice thing about disappointment is that if you have something planned for the next week, it keeps you busy and you can focus on something else,” said McIlroy, 35.

McIlroy was tied for fourth place in a large group that included fellow Ryder Cup players Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre, 2021 champion Billy Horschel and Frenchman Victor Perez, who also made bogey on hole 18 – after hitting his second shot into the water in front of the green – and lost the lead.

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