Golfer Rory McIlroy showed Thursday why he’s already topped the world rankings a few times in his career, showing off his might at the Dell-Technologies World Single Hole Championships in Austin, Texas.
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The current holder of the third rank of the international hierarchy faced the American Denny McCarthy in his second duel of this competition and he caught the attention with the distance of certain strikes. Also, his tee shot at the 18th pennant made the difference against a visibly impressed opponent. With a one-hole lead, he sent his ball four feet from the cup, for a run-up of 375 yards. McCarthy had no choice but to concede the eagle to the Northern Irishman, who confirmed the victory.
“It was one of those shots where there was a good headwind. I could have used a 3 wood, ended up at the bottom of the driveway and used the cart. I thought the ball was going to come to rest in the fairway, 10 or 20 yards from the target. I never believed, however, that she could come so close,” he told the Golf Channel network.
Earlier in the game, McIlroy also had long shots at the tee, including a 308-yard par-4 strike at the 13th flag, as well as a 356-yard strike at the 15th flag. “I did well on the tee shots in the last holes and the contact with the ball was very good,” he said.
On Friday, he had an appointment with Keegan Bradley.