Rory McIlroy loses putter head in first round of BMW PGA Championship

VIRGINIA WATER, England — Rory McIlroy lost the putter head on his No. 9 and then lost the lead when he went off the tee on the final hole to shoot 67-under in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship on Thursday.

World number three McIlroy has recovered well from the pain he felt after being denied victory at last week’s Irish Open, overcoming a freak accident on the 12th hole when the head of his No. 9 putter came loose from the shaft and flew down the fairway after McIlroy hit his second shot.

The Northern Irishman said he didn’t even see the ball hit the green and it came to rest seven feet from the hole to record one of seven birdies.

“It was a bit of a strange feeling,” McIlroy said. “Obviously you’d expect the weight of the club to hold up to that but there was nothing stopping it.”

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Rory McIlroy’s club head falls off after collision#BMWPGA | #Rolex series pic.twitter.com/eaF51JCvBy

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McIlroy managed to fix his No. 9 putter and got the ball back on the 16th hole, before they continued on the West Course at Wentworth. McIlroy made par on the 17th hole despite hitting a hard shot into the trees. He lost a stroke on the final hole when he hit his second shot to the right of the green and into the trees, eventually hitting the ball on a path that was out of play.

A bogey putt knocked McIlroy out of a joint lead with Denmark’s Niklas Norgaard just hours before the end of the first round. Norgaard, who won the British Masters this month to claim his first European Tour title, made four birdies on his final eight holes to post a 66.

McIlroy was playing four days after finishing second in the Irish Open behind Rasmus Hougaard, who finished the tournament with three straight strokes to defeat the local champion on Sunday.

“The nice thing about disappointment is that if you have something coming up next week, it’s good to keep yourself busy and keep your mind focused on something else,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy, 35, tied for second in a group that also included Ryder Cup players Shane Lowry and Robert McIntyre, as well as France’s Victor Perez, who also made a mistake on the 18th hole – hitting his second shot into the water in front of the green – to fall out of the lead.

Scotland’s Grant Forrest had been 6-under after eight holes, but his round was halted as he found water in the final round to score a 68.