Someone, somewhere is celebrating the recovery of a golf ball they thought was lost forever at Portrush.
And they owe a serious debt of gratitude to Rory McIlroy after he discovered the lost ball in the most bizarre manner possible at this year’s Open Championship.
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McIlroy pulled off perhaps the most bizarre golf shot of all timeCredit: AFP via Getty
The Northern Irishman found himself in the rough following an errant effort off the tee on the 11th hole and looked to get on the green with a tidy approach shot.
But the moment he struck his own ball, a second one embedded beneath the surface emerged out of nowhere.
McIlroy had a perplexed look on his face as he knelt down to pick up the second ball and showed it off to the crowd.
“That has got to be a first, hasn’t it?” Sir Nick Faldo said on commentary for Sky Sports.
“What are the odds of that? This is unbelievable.
“He was very fortunate to miss the burns but lands on an old golf ball. What a story.”
Amid the craziness, McIlroy’s ball landed short of the green and left him in a tricky spot.
He ultimately recorded his first bogey of the round.
However, McIlroy immediately rebounded with a scintillating eagle on the 12th.
A 362-yard drive set McIlroy up perfectly and followed that up with a brilliant 174-yard strike that got him onto the green.
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The Northern Irishman somehow unearthed a ball that wasn’t his…Credit: AFP via Getty
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And could barely believe the discoveryCredit: AFP via Getty
But it was his remarkable 56-foot putt that sent the crowd at Portrush into raptures.
“It has been a long time since he made a birdie,” Rich Beem said on Sky Sports.
“He was in a drought, he needed one there and he got that eagle.
“How do the fans feel about it? Are they excited? I’d say yes!”
McIlroy began his second round in dominant fashion as he recorded an impressive three birdies from the opening four holes.
But the Northern Irishman, who has not won the Open in a decade, could not build on his early momentum as he recorded a par on every hole from the fifth to the 10th.
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A stunning putt to secure an eagle kept McIlroy in with a shout at PortrushCredit: Getty