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Rory McIlroy had a sensational third round that saw him wave up on the leaderboard on Saturday at Royal Portrush, but the shot he might remember most is when he hit two balls with a turn.
McIlroy, 36, hit a delusional drive on the 11th hole and the ball landed where the fans stand. McIlroy’s ball had a decent lie as the earth had been trampled in the last few days.
What McIlroy did not know, however, was that directly under his ball, another golf ball was submerged in the ground, which could not be seen when it was buried beneath the surface.
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Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy responds after finding an old golf ball as he plays his own ball from the rough on the 11th hole on day three of the 153rd open championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on July 19, 2025. (Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)
When McIlroy swung, his ball walked 117 meters into the fairway, and as he came in contact with the ground, the other ball jumped up a few feet in the air and landed between his feet.
McIlroy looked down almost instantly and picked in the ball in disbelief.
“Oh my God,” McIlroy said, picking up the ball, he revealed with his turn.
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Northern Ireland Rory McIlroy responds after finding an old golf ball as he plays his own ball from the rough on the 11th hole on day three of the 153rd open championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland on July 19, 2025. (Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images)
McIlroy eventually threw the ball into a bush and asked NBC’s analyst Roger Maltbie on the field, “Have you ever seen it before?”
“It’s the most strange, ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen,” McIlroy said after the round.
McIlroy ended with a bogey and a discovered ball on the 11th hole. Bogey on the 11th hole was his only spot on the day.
Rory McIlroy from Northern Ireland recognizes the crowd audience on the 16th green during the third round of the British Open Golf Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
The Grand Slam winner came out warmly as he birded with three of his first four holes. After his bogey on the 11th hole he replied by draining a 56-foot Eagle putt on the 12th hole to get the stroke back.
McIlroy noted another birdie on the 15th hole and ended 5 under par for the day and is 8-under for the tournament.
At this point, McIlroy is in a draw for fourth place and five strokes behind the leader, Scottie Scheffler.
