During the second round of the Tour Championship at East Lake, Rory McIlroy experienced a notable setback on the third hole, resulting in a double bogey. The incident occurred when McIlroy, attempting to chip onto the green from approximately 15 yards out, twice failed to get his shot far enough up an uphill slope. The ball rolled back to his feet on both occasions.
Following the repeated misplays, McIlroy eventually reached the green on his third attempt. The ESPN+ broadcaster commented on the situation, stating, "To get cute twice in a row. Unbelievable, you just have to err long, especially when it’s your second time."
Andy North, an ESPN analyst, also weighed in, suggesting that McIlroy's tendency for such errors contributes to the perceived gap between him and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. North noted that while McIlroy possesses immense talent and can be exceptional when playing well, he makes "forced mistakes" with wedges, unlike Scheffler, who generally avoids such errors.
McIlroy recovered to finish the round at 1-under par and 3-under for the tournament. At the time of this report, he was tied for 22nd place among the 30 competitors, six strokes behind the leader, Ryan Gerard, who was at 9-under par.