RORY MCILROY left fans speechless after sinking the most bizarre birdie anyone is likely to see this year.
The golf star pulled off the freakish shot on the final hole of his first round showing at the Tour Championship.
The Northern Irish icon lined up for a tricky shot out of a green-side bunker to set himself up for birdie.
He overcooked his swing by far and had initially seemed to fire the ball well beyond the green.
That was until the ball struck the grandstand behind the green, before ricocheting back down on to the turf and rolling to within striking distance of the hole.
Sometimes it pays to be lucky and good. @McIlroyRory closes the day with a bang 💥 pic.twitter.com/d9RAihADLI
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 21, 2025
McIlroy clearly would have preferred his shot had gone where he wanted in the first place, but couldn’t help but let a wry smile slip through his disappointed demeanour.
Rival Scottie Scheffler was also on the scene, and wore his shock and joy more openly, grinning widely at the unusual spectacle he had just witnessed.
One X user commented on the wholesome relationship between the two on the course, they said: “Loved watching the camaraderie between #1 and #2 today. Hope we see more of them together on Sat and Sun!”
Another user likened the bizarre shot to something out of the Happy Gilmore film series, with McIlroy making an appearance in the sequel that released last month.
They said: “Loved this shot, it was a Happy Gilmore kinda shot.”
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Perhaps the 36-year-old took the time to get some playing tips from Adam Sandler and his co-stars on set.
In a manner befitting the world number two ranked player, McIlroy calmly put the putt down for a birdie, shooting a 66 to come in four under par for the day.
The Tour Championship , held at the East Lake golf club in Atlanta, USA, is the last event of the PGA Tour season.
The winner after four days of play will take home a $10million prize, with the best of the rest splitting the rest of the $40million total prize pot.
The winner will also win the FedEx Cup, the trophy for the PGA Tour season as a whole.
American star Russell Henley leads the competition after the first round, coming out a mighty nine shots under par.
It has been a whirlwind year for McIlroy which has seen him rise up the ranks and finally win his green jacket in April to complete the grand slam.
He has since battled a rivalry with world number one Scheffler, who has pipped him to the PGA Championship and the Open .
