Rory McIlroy may have lost the throne of the world number one a few weeks ago, but he looks to retain the throne this weekend at the Players Championship. Despite the high expectations from the Northern Irish star, he has yet to display his enthralling golf talents at TPC Sawgrass. Nonetheless, after a double-bogey start to the event, McIlroy merely replaces another bogey with a par, leaving the golf world mesmerized.

Rory started the first round of the ongoing PGA Tour event alongside the favorites, Scottie Scheffler and world number one, Jon Rahm. All three men will be seeking to win the tournament in Florida to take home the historical $4.6 million and capture the number one rank in Official World Golf Ranking.

Nonetheless, the hype came crashing down for Rory McIlroy after a poor first nine holes. However, the bad start to the evening could have gotten much worse for him if it wasn’t for his great escape in his seventh hole.

Rory McIlroy escapes the trees and rough

The 4-time Major winner began the Players Championship from back nine. He double-bogeyed the first hole, which was the 10th hole at the TPC Sawgrass. While McIlroy wished to never repeat the same mistake in the rest of the tournament, his tee shot at the par-5 16th hole was sent straight below the trees.

With the golf ball of the Northern Irish star embedded into the rough grass, with the tree covering his sight, many thought the golfer will settle for another bogey. However, Rory mastered his second stroke, just slicing through the trees ahead to land the ball into the greens. However, he then required three more strokes before ending the Par-5 hole with a par.

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The impressive stroke rescued him from worsening his position at the Players Championship. Nonetheless, the -1 in his second hole was the only birdie McIlroy managed to achieve in the first 9 holes. He managed to record pars in the rest of the holes before scoring another bogey in the 15th hole.

A Timeline of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s Friendship

Rory’s remarkable comeback on the 16th hole has left many golf fans stunned. While many appreciated the golfer, others criticized him for taking three more strokes on the greens to record the hole. Let’s take a look at what the golf world on Twitter had to say.

While McIlroy has been struggling to find form in the first round, his group members Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler have had a decent start to the Players Championship with plenty of birdies and eagles. However, the Northern Irish star has plenty more time to make a comeback at TPC Sawgrass.

What are your thoughts on McIlroy’s shot? Let us know in the comment section below.

Watch This Story: Rory McIlroy Joins Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in Golf’s History Books