WATCH: Rory McIlroy gets lucky break as bunker shot ricochets off grandstand at the Tour Championship

Rory McIlroy is a part of the 30-man field in Atlanta, Georgia, this week. During the opening round of the 2025 Tour Championship, the golfer got a lucky break as a bunker shot did not go as planned.

On the East Lake Golf Club's par-5 18th hole, the Northern Irishman's 340-yard-long drive landed in the left rough. However, with 232 yards to the pin, his golf ball found the bunker on the front right side of the green.

With the pin placed at the back of the green, Rory McIlroy had 39 yards to the hole. Unfortunately, the PGA Tour sensation's shot out of the sand trap was less than ideal. He made contact with only the ball and did not take any sand out.

Luckily for McIlroy, his golf ball ricocheted off the grandstand around the 18th hole green and came back onto the green.

Here's a look at Rory McIlroy's crazy shot on the final hole of the opening round of the 2025 Tour Championship (via X @PGATour):

Rory McIlroy shook his head in disbelief at the poor golf shot, but he also had a look of relief knowing that he was in a good place to putt. Fans were heard chanting the 2025 Masters Tournament winner's name as he walked out of the bunker.

McIlroy's golf ball came to rest 17 feet away from the hole. He proceeded to drain the lengthy putt to card in a birdie and end the day with a 4 under par 66 round. Heading into the final round of the 2025 Tour Championship, he is tied for 8th place with Akshay Bhatia, Ludvig Aberg, and Ben Griffin.

His fellow playing partner for the day, Scottie Scheffler, also laughed at the moment on the final hole of the day and commended the European golfer on his luck as his putt fell in the cup.

Rory McIlroy's 2025 Tour Championship Round 1 Stats

Here's a look at Rory McIlroy's stats for the opening round of the 2025 Tour Championship (PGA Tour):

Strokes Gained - Off the Tee: + 1.180 (3)
Strokes Gained - Approach to Green: + 1.333 (5)
Strokes Gained - Around the Green: - 0.419 (19)
Strokes Gained - Putting: - 0.827 (19)
Strokes Gained - Total: + 1.267 (T8)
Driving Accuracy - 71.43 percent (10/14) (T8)
Driving Distance - 325.10 yards (5)
Longest Drive - 354 yards (6)
Greens in Regulation - 83.33 percent (15/18) (T1)
Sand Saves - 50 percent (1/2) (T14)
Scrambling - 66.67 percent (2/3) (T12)
Putts per Green in Regulation - 1.73 putts (T20)
Feet of Putts Made - 96 feet 4 inches (17)
Eagles - 1 (T1)
Birdies - 4 (T20)
Pars - 11 (T9)
Bogeys - 2 (T12)

About the author

Lathika is one of the newer additions to Sportskeeda’s budding golf journalism team and has brought plenty of in-game experience to the role. Having been a golfer for over 12 years now, some of her crowning achievements include winning titles on the Indian Golf Union Ladies tour and Junior Girls Amateur tour.

She currently competes in Division 1 golf in Florida, and hopes to play in the U.S. Open and Chevron Championship one day. She is set to cover the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. She is currently pursuing a degree in Business Administration and Management, and holds a Sports Marketing certification from Northwestern University, which helped her learn to draft press releases and ultimately transition into journalism.

Lathika has thus developed a knowledge base that allows her to view golf from both player, spectator and media lenses, enabling her to bring statistics, insights and an understanding of fan emotion together in her copies. She only uses verified information from reliable sources like the PGA TOUR.

Her favorite golfers are Nelly Korda and Tiger Woods, both for their playing style as well as their mental strength. Much of her time away from work is spent playing golf, but she also enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and learning new hobbies or upskilling.

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Edited by Lathika Krishna