Rory McIlroy attempts Bryson Bay Hill special but sends it straight in the water

Rory McIlroy drives it into the water en route to a disappointing double-bogey seven on the iconic par-5 6th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Rory McIlroy attempts Bryson Bay Hill special but sends it straight in the water

Rory McIlroy attempted a Bryson DeChambeau Bay Hill special on the iconic par-5 6th in the opening round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but he came up shy in the water. 

McIlroy confirmed earlier this week that he had switched into the new TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Driver after he was outdriven by Tiger Woods a number of times at the recent Genesis Invitational at Riviera. 

The Stealth 2 Plus Driver easily made its way into our Best Golf Drivers buyer guide for this season. 

WATCH: RORY MCILROY NEARLY FACE PLANTS THE CUP AFTER TAKING A TUMBLE!

But despite a recent switch into a driver that TaylorMade screams 'Fargiveness' in 2023, there was to be no success for McIlroy with his tee shot down the water-filled 6th. 

McIlroy tried to cut off much of the corner but his ball came up well shy in the drink. 

He re-loaded from the tee and then found the intermediate rough before sending his fourth shot over the back of the green into the rough. 

McIlroy would then compound his error off the tee by failing to get up and down from there, and it all added up to a disastrous double-bogey seven.

It marks the third time in 33 career rounds where he has made a double bogey on this hole. 

McIlroy may have come up shy in the water with his drive down the 6th, but he currently leads the PGA Tour driving distance with a whopping 328 yards average off the tee. 

He would go on to shoot a lacklustre round of 1-over 73. 

That's eight shots behind World No.1 Jon Rahm, who is incredibly bidding to win for a fourth time already this season and for a sixth time in his last 10 worldwide starts. 

He did let a shocking F-bomb fly, though!

Rory McIlroy attempts Bryson Bay Hill special but sends it straight in the water

Many of you will remember how DeChambeau hit one of the most memorable drives in PGA Tour history on the par-5 6th back in 2021. 

DeChambeau sent it 370 yards across the corner and left himself just a flick from 70 yards into the hole. 

He would go on to make a simple birdie on the hole, and he would also go on to win the tournament in what would be his last on the PGA Tour following his switch to LIV Golf in 2022. 

Let's re-live that magic moment again: 

Sponsored Posts