Rory McIlroy almost tumbled down a sand dune as Irish Open spectators gasped.
The home favourite was helping playing partner Brooks Koepka hunt for his ball at Donald Trump’s Doonbeg resort and could have derailed his bid for a sixth title on the very first hole.
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McIlroy struggled in windy conditionsCredit: Getty
Koepka’s approach on the first ended up in the sand, with McIlroy and Robert MacIntyre joining the American and their caddies to hunt it down.
Four balls were found within the three-minute window, but none of them belonged to Koepka, who is joining McIlroy’s TGL this year.
In brutal conditions, the Northern Irishman slipped on the way back to the green, but just about managed to keep his feet and made it off the slope.
Koepka carded a triple-bogey as McIlroy avoided a potentially devastating injury.
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The five-time champion came home in 69 after six gruelling hours in the rain.
“I can’t recall a round of golf that has taken that long before. We’ve had some rounds that have taken five and a half hours or maybe five and three quarters, but over six hours might be a first for me,” he told BBC Sport.
“It was tough conditions, very windy, it was hard to get into any sort of rhythm out there. It was kind of stop-start, so I felt like shooting under par wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but at the end of the day I’m only four shots behind and not in a bad spot going into the next three days.
“It was tough, but you kind of just got the hang of it, you just kept the ball as close to the ground as possible and just made as many pars as you could.
“You were hitting into the wind on average three or four clubs more than you usually would.
“I had 138 yards to the last green there and hit my full seven iron. I usually hit my seven iron in warm, dry conditions 190 yards.”
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Koepka’s ball was a lost causeCredit: Getty
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McIlroy shows off to a home crowdCredit: GettyRory McIlroy’s TGL takes off
There has been better news for McIlroy off the course.
TGL is in another funding round and Front Office Sports claims that it will be valued at over £1 billion — double what it was in 2024.
As well as a female edition, the company has partnered with the NFL to develop pro flag football before LA 2028.
The NFL’s ownership group unanimously approved a $32 million investment in December.
“We’re in the lab, if you will, of really building what that league’s going to be like,” Peter O’Reilly, the league’s executive vice president of club business, said via The Athletic. “Thinking about what’s the structure of it, where are we playing games, how does it roll out?
“Incredibly exciting to be having conversations with the athletes who are going to play in this league, who maybe dreamed one day there might be a professional flag league, and now we’re saying, ‘This is real.’”