The No. 3-ranked McIlroy was two strokes off the lead held by No. 363-ranked Matthew Baldwin in the flagship event on the European Tour, having bounced back well from the pain of being denied victory at his home Irish Open last week.

It was an adventurous round but one that ended the way Rory McIlroy wanted as the No. 3 player in the world shot a 5-under 67 to get in the mix at the 2024 BMW PGA Championship in Surrey, England. McIlroy,

Rory McIlroy once threw his 3-wood in frustration at the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon and broke it, and there was that time at the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral when he angrily threw his club in the lake on the eighth hole, but the club damage that happened on Thursday during the DP World Tour’s BMW Championship was not his fault.