Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
McIlroy recorded an ace Thursday at the Travelers Championship, the first of his PGA Tour career. His reaction was priceless.
Rory McIlroy had the moment of the day Thursday at the Travelers Championship.
McIlroy knocked in his tee shot for a hole-in-one at the 214-yard par-3 8th hole, the fifth hardest hole on the golf course.
McIlroy’s ace was shockingly the first he recorded on the PGA Tour, a remarkable feat considering he has won four majors and 23 times on tour.
But he did not seem too amused with his ace after it happened. He tossed his ball to a fan as he headed off the 8th green.
“I’m not sentimental. I don’t care,” McIlroy said when asked about his hole-in-one ball. “I’d rather have trophies than golf balls.”
The Golf Channel announcers were stunned, saying they would have kept that ball.
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
CROMWELL, Conn. — Rory McIlroy plays his shot from the fifth tee during the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 23, 2023.
Despite giving his ball away, McIlroy knew his hole-in-one jump-started his round.
“[As far as] hole-in-ones go, I’ve had them in the past where it has been an okay shot, and you get a little lucky,” McIlroy said after his round. “That was the best shot of the day that I hit. I played pretty averagely up until that point. I felt like that hole-in-one got me going a little bit. Birdied the next couple of holes after that and got me into the tournament a bit.”
When McIlroy hit his tee shot at the 8th, he was 1-over for the tournament. He looked out of sync, disengaged, and it appeared that his solo-second finish at the U.S. Open would wear him down in Connecticut.
But his ace vaulted him to red figures, and he ultimately shot a 2-under 68 Thursday.
He followed that up with a 6-under 64 Friday as McIlroy roared into contention at TPC River Highlands.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
