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4 months ago
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The infamous Postage Stamp hole at Royal Troon claimed its first victims of the 152nd Open Championship Thursday and among them was none other than Rory McIlroy.
The Northern Irishman headed to Scotland this week for his last chance of ending his decade-long major drought this year, one month on from his agonizing implosion at the US Open.
But before he could even reach the turn of his first round, disaster struck. The 35-year-old entered the black at the par-three eighth.
Despite only playing 123 yards, the tiny green at the short par-three is treacherous. Miss and you're in trouble - something McIlroy learnt the hard way.
The four-time major winner found one of the lethal, steep-sided bunkers to the right of the green and paid the price.
Rory McIlroy fell victim to Royal Troon's infamous Postage Stamp hole on Thursday
Royal Troon is claiming victims at The Open Championship.
Awesome example of what happens in these bunkers. You can make an easy bogey, but if you want a par you often need to take a big risk.
Rory paid the price. The mistakes you can’t make and claim the Claret Jug. pic.twitter.com/2bD5f8IALc
He attempted a wedge shot to splash out of the sand, which worked - for a second. Trying to navigate the delicate balance of escaping the hazard but not firing it over to the other side of the green, he didn't quite give it enough power.
His ball caught the slope of the green and trundled all the way back, not only degreening itself but also finding the sand again.
Having gained maybe a total of two feet, McIlroy attempted to play his bunker shot again but wary of a repeat, he gave his second chance too much and had to settle for a double bogey.
There was no chance of a bounceback either. A bogey at the tenth and another double at the 11th followed, sinking McIlroy further down the leaderboard.
McIlroy is aiming to heal his US Open heartbreak at Troon this week after he agonizingly missed out to Bryson DeChambeau at Pinehurst.
Holding a two-shot lead during the final round of last month's major, McIlroy carded three bogeys across the final five holes - missing two putts from a combined distance of seven feet.
He stepped back from the golfing spotlight, taking time away for three weeks amid a turbulent time on and off the course.
He made his return to golf at the Genesis Scottish Open last week, where he finished in a tie for fourth at 14-under.
His US Open choke, which extended his decade-long major victory drought, came amid a turbulent time off the course too.
He made a double bogey on the par-three eighth during the first round of The Open
The Northern Irishman is aiming to brush off his US Open heartbreak from last month
McIlroy took a three-week break after Pinehurst amid his collapse and divorce U-turn drama
On the eve of the US Open, he announced he was calling off the divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll.
It was only a month prior, before the PGA Championship in May, that McIlroy announced that he and Erica were to split due to their marriage being 'irretrievably broken'.
But on the Tuesday before the tournament, McIlroy said in a statement: 'There have been rumors about my personal life recently, which is unfortunate. Responding to each rumor is a fool’s game.
'Over the past weeks, Erica and I have realized that our best future was as a family together. Thankfully, we have resolved our differences and look forward to a new beginning.'
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