Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different result is what some people call insanity. It’s also what Rory McIlroy did Friday.
McIlroy was 2-under entering the third hole of the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake when disaster struck. The two-time Masters champion was chipping uphill to the green, about 15 yards from the hole, and he didn’t give his chip enough power.
He hit the uphill slope, and the ball bounced once before rolling straight back to his feet. McIlroy then took one quick practice swing and lined up his shot again.
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Rory McIlroy reacts on the second hole during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
McIlroy then proceeded to do the exact same thing. He didn’t give the ball enough power when he hit it into the slope, and it bounced once before again rolling back to his feet.
The third time was the charm as he finally hit the green and double-bogeyed the hole. However, he significantly hurt his chances of winning the tournament’s $10 million purse.
“To get cute twice in a row,” the ESPN+ broadcaster said. “Unbelievable, you just have to err long, especially when it’s your second time.”
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Rory McIlroy reacts on the second green during the first round of the Tour Championship golf tournament Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
ESPN’s Andy North said that McIlroy makes a lot of forced mistakes, which is why there’s such a difference between him and Scottie Scheffler.
“It is very frustrating. He’s such a talented player,” North said on the broadcast. “When he’s on, there’s maybe nobody better than him.
“He just hits so many quality shots but you can’t keep short-siding yourself, you can’t keep making mistakes with wedges. You look at the difference between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the world, Scottie doesn’t make a lot of forced mistakes like Rory does.”
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Rory McIlroy reacts on the third hole during the first round of the Tour Championship on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Colin Hubbard)
McIlroy rebounded to finish 1-under on the day and 3-under for the tournament, but he was tied for 22nd out of 30 players. At the time of this writing, the Northern Irishman was six strokes off the lead, with Ryan Gerard in first at 9-under par.