Not that it hurt the four-time major champ. McIlroy was on fire at Wentworth during the first round of the DP World Tour event when he arrived at the par-5 12th. After a great drive, he took aim with an 8-iron. And then this happened:

Rory McIlroy lost the club head on his 9-iron and then lost the lead by going out of bounds on the last hole in shooting an eventful 5-under 67 in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship

PGA Tour star Rory McIlroy had one of the most bizarre shots of the year at the BMW PGA Championship Thursday when his 9-iron club head flew along with the ball.

Rory McIlroy’s weird year continued on Thursday in the first round of the DP World Tour’s 2024 BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club in England. On the par-5 12th hole, McIlroy hit a bomb of a drive 332 yards down the fairway and had just 178 yards to the flagstick.

Rory McIlroy survived a "rollercoaster" day which included breaking a club mid-shot as England's Matthew Baldwin enjoyed a serene journey to the top of the leaderboard in the BMW PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy unintentionally accomplished something extremely rare on the golf course on Thursday: his 9-iron head broke off during a shot at the BMW PGA Championship. McIlroy hit a monster second shot on the par-5 12th Hole at the Wentworth Club,

Rory McIlroy got off to a hot start at the 2024 BMW PGA Championship. The same can't be said for his 9-iron, which broke during a shot.