Rory McIlroy had a rollercoaster round during the final day of the BMW Championship on Sunday.
The four-time major winner’s troubles began on the ninth hole at Castle Pines Golf Club in Colorado.
The Northern Irishman snapped his driver in half in what appeared to be a freak accident after hitting his tee shot on the par-four.
The world number three hit a shot wide and his ball landed on the bank, just above a stream that meanders along the right side of the fairway, narrowly avoiding the water.
McIlroy used the club as a crutch as he bent to pick up his tee, but nearly fell when the club gave way beneath him, bent and broke.
Rory McIlroy experienced a rollercoaster ride on the final day of the BMW Championship
![Rory McIlroy snaps his driver in half before stripping to play from the water during a nightmare round at the BMW Championship 7 The Northern Irishman snapped his driver in half after hitting his tee shot on the ninth.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724620910_94_Rory-McIlroy-snaps-his-driver-in-half-before-stripping-to.jpg.webp)
The Northern Irishman snapped his driver in half after hitting his tee shot on the ninth.
Unfortunately, McIlroy was not allowed to replace it and was forced to play the remaining nine holes of his round without a driver.
Players may replace damaged clubs without penalty in accordance with PGA Tour rules, provided the damage occurred and the replacement does not cause a significant delay.
The incident came after McIlroy had endured a torrid couple of days at the BMW Championship, the penultimate tournament of the PGA Tour season and second event of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
Earlier in the tournament on Friday, he was overcome with frustration after his tee shot went wide right on the 17th hole.
Unable to maintain his composure, the 35-year-old lost his cool for a minute, throwing his golf club into the body of water right in front of him, prompting a shocked silence in the crowd and a splash into the water.
However, on Sunday it was the PGA Tour star himself who headed to the water.
A club down and with an unconventional approach, after steering his tee shot to the right and narrowly avoiding the creek, McIlroy began to strip.
For his second shot, McIlroy was forced to remove his shoes and socks and take a dip while balancing one foot on a rock and the other in the water.
![Rory McIlroy snaps his driver in half before stripping to play from the water during a nightmare round at the BMW Championship 9 McIlroy had to remove his shoes and socks to play his second shot from the water at the ninth.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724620919_481_Rory-McIlroy-snaps-his-driver-in-half-before-stripping-to.jpg.webp)
McIlroy had to remove his shoes and socks to play his second shot from the water at the ninth.
![Rory McIlroy snaps his driver in half before stripping to play from the water during a nightmare round at the BMW Championship 11 McIlroy threw his golf club into the water in frustration after a shot went wrong on Friday.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/Rory-McIlroy-snaps-his-driver-in-half-before-stripping-to.jpeg.webp)
McIlroy threw his golf club into the water in frustration after a shot went wrong on Friday.
![Rory McIlroy snaps his driver in half before stripping to play from the water during a nightmare round at the BMW Championship 13 The four-time major champion angrily picked up his club from the water before storming off.](https://whatsnew2day.com/wp-content/uploads/cwv-webp-images/2024/08/1724620934_994_Rory-McIlroy-snaps-his-driver-in-half-before-stripping-to.jpeg.webp)
The four-time major champion angrily picked up his club from the water before storming off.
He managed to hit his approach shot onto the green and save par. However, he arrived at the turn one shot over par, 14 shots behind the leader.
This summer has been a tough one for McIlroy as he came surprisingly close to winning his fifth major but finished second to Bryson DeChambeau at the US Open.
After missing two putts in the closing stages of the competition that gave DeChambeau the title.
McIlroy then failed to make the final cut at The Open, before managing to finish outside the medals at the 2024 Paris Olympics, placing fifth.