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Rory McIlroy had a sensational third round that saw him surge up the leaderboard at The Open on Saturday at Royal Portrush, yet the shot he may remember most is when he hit two balls with one swing.
McIlroy, 36, hit an errant drive on the 11th hole and the ball landed where the fans stand. McIlroy’s ball had a decent lie, as the ground had been trampled on throughout the last few days.
However, what McIlroy didn’t know, was that directly underneath his ball, was another golf ball submerged in the ground that could not be seen, as it was buried below the surface.
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Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy reacts after unearthing 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 Royal Portrush golf club in Northern Ireland on July 19, 2025. (ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
As McIlroy swung, his ball went 117 yards into the fairway, and when he made contact with the ground, the other ball popped up a few feet in the air and landed between his feet.
McIlroy almost immediately looked down and picked in the ball in disbelief.
“Oh my God,” McIlroy said as he picked up the ball he unearthed with his swing.
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Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy reacts after unearthing 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 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 on-course analyst Roger Maltbie, “Have you ever seen that before?”
“That is the most weird, ridiculous thing I have ever seen,” McIlroy said after the round.
McIlroy ended with a bogey, and a discovered ball on the 11th hole. The bogey on the 11th hole was his only blemish on the day.
Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland acknowledges the crowd the crowd on the 16th green during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)
The Grand Slam winner came out hot as he birdied three of his first four holes. After his bogey on the 11th hole, he responded by draining a 56-foot eagle putt on the 12th hole to get the stroke back.
McIlroy notched another birdie on the 15th hole, and finished 5-under par for the day, and is 8-under for the tournament.
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At the time of this writing, McIlroy is in a tie for fourth place and five strokes behind the leader, Scottie Scheffler.
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