McIlroy charge at British Open derailed in bizarre fashion

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Rory McIlroy’s third-round charge at the British Open was derailed in bizarre fashion on Saturday when he unwittingly performed a trick shot at the 11th hole.

With one swish of his club, McIlroy not only hit his designated ball out of the rough to the right of the fairway but also dug out another ball that had been buried underneath the turf.

The second ball popped out of the ground, much to McIlroy’s surprise. He picked it up and held it out in front of him, looking confused.

His shot wound up being a poor one, not even reaching the green, and he couldn’t get up and down for par. The bogey — the first of his round — dropped him to 2 under for the day and 5 under for the tournament at Royal Portrush, and he was seven shots behind leader Scottie Scheffler.