Fore, dad: McIlroy keeps errant shot in the family

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Rory McIlroy hit his approach on the seventh hole Thursday at the Masters right where he was aiming. Problem was, he was aiming at his father. Here’s a tale that will be part of McIlroy family lore for probably forever: Gerry McIlroy was standing near the right side of the green, watching his son play his second shot from off to the left of the fairway. The ball wound up hitting Gerry McIlroy in the left leg.

“It was a perfect shot,” Rory McIlroy said. Well, kind of. He wound up making bogey, which was his third consecutive one.

“It was dead straight,” Rory McIlroy said. “But I think he was OK. He didn’t limp away. He walked away pretty swiftly, so that was all right.”

Gerry McIlroy is a pretty good golfer himself. He introduced his son to the game long ago, and has developed quite a following among his fellow members at his home course, Seminole Golf Club in Florida.

He’ll be getting mileage off this story for years.

Rory McIlroy also had a tee shot spray right on the par-4 11th, causing some patrons to tap-dance out of the way. He finished with a 4-over 76, not exactly boosting his chances of finally winning a Masters and completing the career grand slam.

There’s a tradition in golf that when someone gets struck by an errant ball, the golfer signs a glove for the person as a part-apology, part-souvenir. McIlroy didn’t seem like he was planning to give one to his dad.

“I think he just needs to go and put some ice on,” he said. “Maybe I’ll autograph a bag of frozen peas for him.”

Fleetwood’s ace: Tommy Fleetwood had no birdies in the opening round of the Masters. A hole-in-one made him smile anyway. Fleetwood made an ace on the 170-yard 16th hole the 32nd in Masters history. Of those, 23 have come on the 16th.

Fleetwood finished the day with four bogeys, the ace and shot a 2-over 74. There were no aces at the Masters last year; Justin Thomas and Bryson DeChambeau both made one at the 16th in 2019.

Last shall be first: Brian Harman was the last player to get into the Masters. When he finished his opening round, his was the first name on the leaderboard.

Harman made three birdies over the last six holes for a 3-under 69. That matches his best score at Augusta, though it’s a small sample size. This is only Harman’s third appearance in the Masters.

He had little reason to be believe he would be here in April.

A month ago, Harman was ranked 95th. He tied for third at The Players Championship, and that got him into the Match Play. The Match Play was the final tournament for players to crack the top 50, and Harman reached the quarterfinals. That got him to No. 49, and on his way to the Masters. Being a late entry had its advantages. “Probably so,” Harman said. “The previous two times I’ve played it, I’ve certainly looked forward to it maybe and prepared too much for it. I just kind of came in here, and I know the course pretty well. I’ve played here bunches of time. I love it around here. It’s just a matter of having my game ready.”

Based on what got him here, he was ready. Harman said his short game has been on song, and that never hurts at Augusta National.