WATCH: Rory McIlroy misses ace after hitting flagstick at 2024 PGA Championship

The 2024 PGA Championship is currently underway and Rory McIlroy has started his campaign in search of his first Major win in a decade. McIlroy is coming fresh off a win at the Wells Fargo Championship and is one of the favorites to win the PGA Championship this weekend.

After carding two birdies on the back nine of the Valhalla Golf Course, McIlroy moved onto the front nine alongside his pairing of Dustin Johnson and Justin Rose. In one of the very first holes, the Northern Irishman hit an extremely accurate shot.

Hitting a long drive saw his ball edge towards the hole, but instead of going straight in, it hit the flagstick. The ball eventually settled about six feet away from the hole, which McIlroy managed to convert into a birdie.

Watch the video here:

McIlroy topped the power rankings over Scottie Scheffler for the 2024 PGA Championship. Despite receiving tough competition from Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, McIlroy felt like he was in good shape to perform well this weekend.

Speaking via The Guardian, McIlroy said:

"But, look, my game feels good coming off the back of two wins, a fun one in New Orleans with Shane Lowry, at the Zurich Classic team event] and then a really good performance last week. I think it’s all about confidence and momentum. I have a lot of confidence and quite a bit of momentum coming into this week."

Rory McIlroy last won the PGA Championship in 2014 at the very course that he is playing at this weekend.

"I think if I look that far back, I mean, it's hard to rekindle those feelings and those memories," McIlroy said. "I can vaguely remember, you know, coming here off the back of winning The Open and the old WGC at Akron."

Before the Wells Fargo Championship, Rory McIlroy also won the 2024 Zurich Classic with his partner Shane Lowry.

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Rory McIlroy files for divorce days ahead of PGA Championship weekend

One day after winning the Wells Fargo Championship, Rory McIlroy filed for divorce from his wife of seven years, Erica Stoll. The news came to light just a few days before the beginning of the PGA Championship. McIlroy and Stoll have a three-year-old daughter, Poppy Kennedy.

The couple has decided to keep the divorce private, and no particular reason has been stated as to why they are separating. Despite all the tension in his private life, McIlroy is fully focused on winning the PGA Championship.

Speaking in the press conference yesterday, McIlroy said (according to Golf Week):

"I'm ready to play this week."

McIlroy enters the field with odds of +600, second only to Scottie Scheffler (+300).