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Rory McIlroy having a bad day is not something golf fans are accustomed to. Surprisingly enough, McIlroy’s luck seemed to have deserted him at the Australian Open. Trying to aim for his second title in the lane Down Under, the Northern Ireland star did not have a very impressive beginning. But despite all that, McIlroy’s heartwarming gesture towards one of his fans made headlines.

After the play for the day was called off, McIlroy was flocked by his fans. And amidst them, one particular young fan presented him with a cap. Without a hint of hesitation, McIlroy accepted the offer and signed the cap for the kid. Immediately after that, the expression on the kid’s face changed, and he looked pretty elated. Surely, McIlroy did make his day with a simple signature of his own.

Soon, all the fans at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club applauded the Northern Irish star for his warm gesture. Meanwhile, as McIlroy kept his composure and granted the kids’ wish, the star golfer had quite a forgettable day. However, the world No. 2 did claw his way back into the event with three back-to-back birdies late in the second round. 

Upbeat with his recent performance, McIlroy came in with renewed vigor, trying to give himself some momentum. Unfortunately, all of his efforts would eventually go in vain. The 36-year-old star golfer had an embarrassing air swing in the second round. As McIlroy’s backswing clipped a tree, the ball surprisingly missed the entire fairway and landed on a clump of grass. Now, this entire turn of events was pretty much discouraging for the Irishman.

And to further add to his woes, it was discovered that a discarded banana peel had been draped over the ball. This made it impossible for McIlroy to move the peel as it would have resulted in a one-stroke penalty for the star golfer. Frustrated at the situation, McIlroy seemed to be pretty much amused at all the obstacles the course presented to him in recent times. However, after his frustrating outing, McIlroy wants the Australian Open to be rescheduled. But why?

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After rollercoaster week, Rory McIlroy calls for Australian Open date change

Completing a career Grand Slam this year at the 2025 Masters Tournament, he has made sure to seal a stellar season. He also secured his seventh title at the Race to Dubai. However, he unfortunately faltered at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, where thousands of fans turned in to witness the Northern Irish icon take a shot. And now, after the Australian Open concluded, McIlroy has called on the organizers of the event to reschedule it. But why?

Rory believes that the event must provide grounds for other international names to participate in the tournament in the future. Expressing his sentiment, he said, “I’ve been excited to come back down here for a while; it’s been over 10 years since I played in the Australian Open.” And this year, fans, too, alongside the organizing authorities, have ensured that the tournament is a great success.

Explaining his take, McIlroy further stated, “This is a golf tournament that has got so much potential and I think it showed a little bit of that this week. There’s still a way to go.” Although he had a ‘rollercoaster’ ride in the very first round and the final result, too, did not turn out to be what the Northern Irish golfer might have expected, he still added, “I would love to have a few more players come down and play. But it’s hard. There’s three tournaments going on in the schedule this week.”

The Australian Open’s dates clashed with two other major events: Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge and the Nedbank Challenge in South Africa by the DP World Tour. McIlroy emphasized the importance of this event in setting a better schedule so that it provides more international names with dates to accommodate this event in their schedules.