The Australian Open kicked off this week at Royal Melbourne, and Rory McIlroy shocked fans with an embarrassingly relatable swing and miss shot.
Despite the gaffe, McIlroy was able to make a come back. He scored above the cut line and will compete over the weekend.
This weekend marks McIlroy’s first appearance at the Australian Open since 2015. Having won first place back in 2013, Rory finds himself 7 shots back in one of the final events of the 2025 season.
Rory Whiffs
On hole 14, Rory discovered his tee shot had settled beneath a tree. Unfortunately for the Irish professional, the tree had some pretty-low hanging branches. McIlroy tried to punch it out, but on his back swing, the club got tied up in the gnarly limbs. As Rory came down, he totally whiffed it, missing the ball by a good amount.
The swing and miss resulted in a bogey on the hole. Fans went wild on social media, pointing out times when they too have whiffed it, just like the seasoned professional. Viewers flocked to the comments, calling the World No. 2 ‘one of us’ with reminders that even the greats are human too.
When asked about his thoughts on the whiff, McIlroy stated,
“Felt like I could get in there, really low like Seve (Ballesteros) used to do and just get a little 4-iron and get it back into play.”
“On the way down, I caught a branch and obviously just completely went over the ball. I honestly can’t remember the last time I had a ‘fresh air.’ Not one of my finer moments, but it was nice to bounce back after that and play like I did the last few holes.”
Despite what fans claim, McIlroy’s comeback proved that the golfer isn’t just like us after all.
McIlroy Makes the Cut
Following the hole 14 blunder, Rory somehow went on to make the cut at the Australian Open. Rallying with a 68 on the day was enough for McIlroy to get above the cut line and push him into weekend play.
He followed up the bogey with some impressive play. Shooting three birdies over the last four holes. More importantly, McIlroy didn’t let the mistake get to his head. Incredibly the golfer made a birdie on the 17th hole, hitting a shot out of a bush to secure the pivotal score.
When asked if he felt relieved over the come back play, McIlroy stated,
“Absolutely; I think it would have been a big downer for everyone involved if I wasn’t here for the weekend.”
“The drive on 15 was a big shot because it could have been a turning point one way or another. If I don’t hit that tee shot well, I’m looking at another bogey. I needed to play those last four holes the way I did.
“With the wind, it played like a different golf course today,” McIlroy continued. “I certainly haven’t played my best over the past couple of days but it was nice to finish the way I did. Delighted to be here for the weekend. Seven isn’t too far back.”
His final score of 3-under puts him 7 shots behind the co-leaders. Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen and Daniel Rodrigues share the top spot going into the weekend with a 9-under.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Rory Makes Rare Miss but Rallies Above Cut Line appeared first on Heavy Sports.