Rory McIlroy second-round struggle leads to 3-iron heave

DORAL, Fla. — Everything is loud this week at the renovated Trump National Doral Miami for the World Golf Championship-Cadillac Championship.

The volume of the nightly parties. Tournament host Donald Trump's thundering presence and his helicopter that lands near the ninth tee.

The sharp teeth and nasty edges of the Blue Monster course that is giving nearly every player headaches. And the staggering roars big-hitting, pace-setting J.B. Holmes is producing with his driver and putter in taking a 2-shot lead.

But nothing in Friday's second round caused as much racket as Rory McIlroy.

The world's No. 1 ignited an uproar when he uncharacteristically heaved his 3-iron into the lake bordering the eighth hole. McIlroy, after a fairway-splitting, 302-yard drive, knocked his second shot into the H2O.

And then chucked his iron 40 yards into the water.

"Felt good at the time," McIlroy said after 2-under-par 70 left him 8 shots out of the lead. "Look, I just let frustration get the better of me. It was heat of the moment, and I mean, if it had been any other club I probably wouldn't have but I didn't need a 3‑iron for the rest of the round, so I thought, why not?

" … Looking back at it, it isn't one of my proudest moments. … I wouldn't encourage anyone to do it; especially if there's kids watching at home. First of all, it's expensive, and second of all, you shouldn't do it."

McIlroy has let his frustration get the better of him before.

In 2013, he walked off the Champion Course during defense of his title at the Honda Classic in 2013, later citing a wisdom tooth ache. This year, he looked lethargic in the Honda Classic when he made his U.S. debut last week, missing the cut.

Scrutiny and annoyance in his form is getting to him. He wasn't in the best of moods after Thursday's 73, either.

He had won and finished runner-up on the European Tour to start his season but has been lost in America. He has two more rounds and one more tournament before he heads to Augusta National to try and win a third consecutive major and become the sixth player in history to complete the career Grand Slam at 25.

"I think every golfer feels it because I don't hit shots like the one I hit on 8 on the range," said McIlroy, who added that he has never heaved a club before. "So that's what really bothers me, the fact that I get out on the course and I hit shots that I'm not seeing when I'm in a more relaxed environment. So it's a little bit of mental, a little bit of physical. It's just everything is not quite matching up."

Playing partner Henrik Stenson was the first to approach McIlroy after the heave-ho. Stenson joked to McIlroy that if he can't get on (ESPN's) SportsCenter with his play, he could get on for something else.

"I've done my fair share of those kind of things over the years, so I'm not going to judge anyone on anything," Stenson said. "He's a strong fellow for not being the tallest guy, and he had good speed on that one, too. You know, it gets to the best of us or to all of us."

While in no way condoning McIlroy's hurl, other players could understand it.

"This course will do it to you," Keegan Bradley said. "It will drive you crazy."

"I thought about throwing one on 9," Ian Poulter said.

McIlroy said he won't think about throwing one again. He likely won't replace the lost club with a new 3-iron, instead putting in an extra wedge or a 5-wood. And he'll just keep his head down and he'll keep trying to find his best form.

"I've got two more days to try and find something out there and shoot a couple of decent numbers and see where that leaves me at the end of the week," he said.