Rory McIlroy holes out for AMAZING EAGLE in Italian Open round one
Rory McIlroy holed out from the middle of the 3rd fairway in the first round of the Italian Open, staged at Marco Simone Golf Club which will host the 2023 Ryder Cup.
Wentworth runner-up Rory McIlroy holed out for an incredible eagle from the middle of the fairway during the first round of the Italian Open.
Making his first ever appearance at the Italian Open, the Northern Irishman was 1-over-par in the middle of the 3rd fairway, which was his 12th hole of the day.
From 115 yards, the 33-year-old took aim and hit an amazing shot which finished at the bottom of the cup. He thrilled the fans at Marco Simone Golf Club, as he intends to do at the Ryder Cup in 2023 at this very venue.
This helped McIlroy move into the red on Thursday in Rome, having made two early bogeys on the 11th and 17th holes. He is playing alongside home favourite Francesco Molinari and Nicolai Hojgaard in the first two rounds.
The 22-time PGA Tour winner added birdies on the 5th, 8th and 9th holes to card an opening score of 4-under-par to move into early contention.
McIlroy is looking to land his 15th career title on the DP World Tour this week.
EAGLE @McIlroyRory holes out on the third #DS79OpendItalia pic.twitter.com/CCgT07Xg7d
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) September 15, 2022
McIlroy arrived in Italy this week fresh from an agonising second-place finish at the BMW PGA Championship. His eagle putt on the final hole at Wentworth just trickled by which gave the win to Shane Lowry.
Nonetheless, McIlroy is ranked No.1 in the DP World Tour rankings and he will be one of the favourites to win the DP World Tour Championship in November, an event he has already won twice.
The DP World Tour has been under the microscope more than ever in recent months as it intends to ramp up the strategic alliance with the PGA Tour in the next two years.
McIlroy has been a staunch defender of both tours since the emergence of the LIV Golf Series which has lured some of the biggest names in the game.
On Wednesday, he addressed questions regarding the potential participation of LIV Golf players in the Ryder Cup. Unsurprisingly, the four-time major champion had a simple answer.
"I have said it once I've said it a hundred times, I don't think any of those guys should be on The Ryder Cup team."
