Rory McIlroy sees funny side after epic trick shot fail ahead of DP World Tour finale
Here's about the only time you will ever see Rory McIlroy shank a golf ball on the DP World Tour!
Rory McIlroy saw the funny side after his epic trick shot fail on the range nearly wiped out a fellow competitor ahead of this week's DP World Tour Championship.
McIlroy, 35, holds a commanding lead atop the DP World Tour Rankings ahead of this week's season finale at Jumeirah Golf Estates.
The only man that can catch him for Race to Dubai honours is Thriston Lawrence, a man who has not won all year but racked up five runner-up finishes on the DP World Tour.
The South African will need to win this week's tournament on the Earth Course and then hope the Northern Irishman finishes outside the top 10 if he is to cause an upset.
But in a limited field of just 50 players at the DP World Tour Championship, it very much looks inevitable that McIlroy will etch his name on the Race to Dubai title for a third straight time.
Rory McIlroy shanks wedge shot ahead of DP World Tour finale
McIlroy will be hoping his week in the Dubai sunshine goes much more to plan than his trick shot attempt on the range on Wednesday.
After doing a number of keepy-uppys with his TaylorMade wedge, McIlroy then stepped in to smash a full shot on the fly.
Only it very much backfired.
"Uh oh, FORE!" shouted McIlroy as he shanked his ball way right towards a fellow competitor going about his business.
"Do you want that back?!" the player replied.
McIlroy and his team saw the funny side of it!
Scroll below to watch the hilarious video...
Should McIlroy see things out as expected this Sunday, then he will match the feat of late great Seve Ballesteros for six Harry Vardon trophies, something that would give him a great deal of pride as a European.
Scotland's Colin Montgomerie holds the all-time record for eight Order of Merit titles.
McIlroy said of emulating Ballesteros:
"Seve is almost like a, not a mythical character to me but was just a little bit before my time. But he was my dad's favourite player, and I don't think it can be -- the immense impact he had on European golf from a Ryder Cup and from what he did for The European Tour, he means a lot to the overall game of golf but specifically in this part of the world and on this tour.
"So to draw level with him and to have a career that can sort of somewhat stack up against his is very cool."
As for a reflection of his 2024 season, which once again saw him miss out on a major title, McIlroy would give himself an 8/10.
The Ulsterman came closest to notching a first major in 10 years and a fifth overall at the 2024 US Open at Pinehurst No.2 in June.
He missed two short putts on the closing holes to hand a second US Open title to LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau.
McIlroy successfully defended his Dubai Desert Classic title in January when surging home late in the final round, and he added two more wins on the PGA Tour alongside Shane Lowry at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans before going on to win the Wells Fargo Championship for a record fourth time.
The World No.3 said of his season:
"Yeah, incredibly consistent again. I think I've been really proud of that over the last few years. But then at the same time, you know, thinking about the ones that got a way. I could be sitting up here with a fifth major title and I am not. So that stings and that's something that I have to come to terms with but at the same time I've got plenty more opportunities in the future.
"But I really just tried to focus on the positives this year of consistently performing at the highest level. You know, still having three wins with an opportunity to get a fourth here this week, to win another Race to Dubai title.
"You know, did I achieve every goal I set for myself this year? Probably not.
"But I still consider it a successful season. You've got two guys at the top of the World Rankings down there winning two majors. You know, Scottie winning a Masters and a PLAYERS and the Olympics. They certainly separated themselves from the pack this year. I'm obviously very aware of that, and it only makes me more motivated to try to emulate what they did this year."
Next Page: Tommy Fleetwood's reaction to another Rory McIlroy major-less season speaks volumes
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