The Players: Rory McIlroy puts two balls in the water at 18 and falls to the opening round 79 | Golf news

Defending champion Rory McIlroy was fighting hard only to make the cut midway at The Players Championship after starting with a double bogey and then going up an eight at 18 to hit seven over par; watch live on Sky Sports The Players

Rory McIlroy endured a horror start in defending his Players Championship title when he fell to a starting round of 79 at TPC Sawgrass.

The 2019 champion was looking forward to a “second bite of the cherry” after his initial title defense was curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic that forced him to cancel the tournament after last year’s first round, but his Challenge was shattered after a terrible start.

McIlroy set the tone when he launched his first tee shot into the trees in the 10th, an error that led him to a double bogey six, and dropped another shot at 13 before the worst followed in the overwhelming 18.

The lean to the right after he swung away was a warning sign that he had thrown it to the left and his ball splashed into the lake a couple of yards to the left of the fairway. He then compounded the error when he landed off the front of the tee and hit a long iron to play for position in an attempt to limit the damage, but also tossed that ball into the lake.

After fellow player Webb Simpson also donated two balls into the water, McIlroy’s fifth shot found the front of the green, 60 feet away from the flag, from where he made three putts after dropping his first attempt at seven feet. Of the objective.

The resulting quad-bogey drove McIlroy around the corner at 43 – seven over par – and equaled his career worst nine-hole total on the PGA Tour, and all eight also tied his career-high score at a hole. .

“You’re trying to figure it out, but you still know that you’re not really sure where the shots are coming from,” McIlroy said. “It’s kind of like I said earlier in the week, it’s hard to at least try to remove one side of the golf course, basically.

“Obviously the big number 18 didn’t help and then doubling down the first wasn’t helpful either. I think it’s hard to bounce back when you haven’t played well. Regardless of whether you hit that 18th hole, it still wasn’t a very good day.”

McIlroy briefly began a comeback by following a 10-foot birdie at first taking advantage of the next par five, only to fail to save par from the sand in the third and making a three-putt bogey from 25 feet at par. -four room.

The four-time senior champion made a 12-foot birdie in the fifth, but then completed a forgettable day with a three-putt bogey on the ninth, his final hole, putting him about 16 strokes behind starting leader Sergio Garcia.

Watch the videos above to see McIlroy’s horrendous start at TPC Sawgrass! Live coverage continues on our dedicated channel: Sky Sports The Players.