Rory McIlroy was forced to grab his club from the lake after he had thrown it in frustration and was attacked by…

Rory McIlroy’s frustration with his recent form reached a breaking point during the PGA Tour play-offs last Friday, culminating in an unusual and dramatic scene. The world No. 3 golfer’s struggles on the course were visibly evident as he experienced a moment of sheer exasperation, which led him to throw his three-wood club into a pond on the 17th hole at the BMW Championship. The episode not only highlighted his frustration but also required him to wade into the water to retrieve the club shortly after.

The incident unfolded during McIlroy’s penultimate hole of the day. As he faced a challenging tee-shot that veered into the rough, his growing frustration boiled over. In a fit of anger, McIlroy hurled his three-wood towards the nearby pond. Unfortunately for him, the club did not disappear as intended; instead, it ended up splashing into the shallow waters. This display of frustration was not the first of its kind for McIlroy, but it certainly drew comparisons to his infamous club-throwing incident at Doral a decade earlier. At that time, McIlroy’s three-iron was tossed with such force that it landed in the lake, prompting Donald Trump—then the owner of the course and later a future US President—to employ a diver to retrieve it.

Despite the theatrics of the moment, McIlroy managed to salvage a par on the 17th hole at the Castle Pines Golf Club in Denver. However, his efforts were not enough to improve his standing significantly. He finished the round with a one-over-par 71 and found himself trailing 10 shots behind the leader, Adam Scott.

McIlroy’s struggles have been apparent over recent months. After a promising runner-up finish at the US Open in June, where he was in contention for his first major victory in a decade until he faltered by bogeying three of the final four holes, McIlroy’s form has dipped. He followed that with a fifth-place finish at the Olympics, but his performances in other tournaments have been lackluster. He missed the cut at the Open Championship held at Royal Troon and ended up in a disappointing tie for 68th place out of 70 players at the tournament in Memphis the previous week.

Despite these setbacks, McIlroy still harbors hopes of turning his year around. He remains in contention for the FedEx Cup, with the opportunity to potentially secure a significant victory in the final event next week in Atlanta. McIlroy has expressed his belief that a strong performance in this final tournament could transform what has been a “pretty good year” into a “very good year.” Nonetheless, the incident in Colorado serves as a stark reminder of the considerable improvements McIlroy needs to make to regain his best form and compete at the highest level.