McIlroy responds to ‘cheating’ allegations as Bhatia hits the front | Texas Open R1
“Golf enthusiasts were split in their opinions on the duration it took for Rory McIlroy to sink his birdie putt.” Several golf enthusiasts may be upset about the delay in Rory McIlroy’s ball dropping on the 8th hole during the
first round of the Texas Open. However, McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, has clarified that the wind caused his ball to drop within the allotted 10-second rule.
McIlroy’s 13-foot putt for birdie on the 8th hole just missed going in the cup.
The World No.2 paused, took a couple of steps forward, paused some more, and then trudged towards the cup as his 10 seconds began.
According to the official Rule 13.3, “if any part of your ball overhangs the lip of the hole, you are allowed a reasonable time to reach the hole and 10 more seconds to wait to see whether your ball will fall into the hole.”
As McIlroy was up by the hole, his ball eventually went down.
“When I ended up hitting the putt, there wasn’t really a ton of wind there and I thought I missed it on the left side. Obviously the ball hung on the edge and I was just hoping for a gust of wind to come to blow it in and thankfully it did before the 10-second mark.”
Only a number of armchair fans on social media believe McIlroy ‘cheated’ the rules and took much longer than 10 seconds.
However, McIlroy was deemed to have played well within the 10-second rule, and his birdie-four went down on the card.
Check out the thread on the PGA Tour clip below to see what fans are saying about it all.
A similar incident unfolded during The Players Championship last month, but Austin Eckroat was deemed to have taken too long.
McIlroy ended up carding a flawless 3-under 69 to move into early contention for a first Texas Open title.
In the first round, he scored birdies on the 2nd, 8th, and 17th holes, which helped him break into the top 10 standings.
Unfortunately, the golfer from Northern Ireland missed the opportunity to finish the round at 4-under par when his birdie chip narrowly missed the hole on the 18th. McIlroy was in disbelief as he ended
up dropping his club into the bunker. American golfer Akshay Bhatia, in great form, surged to the lead by shooting a flawless 9-under 63.
“Bhatia, who is 22 years old, started the back nine with a score of 32 and finished with a score of 31. During this nine-hole stretch, he managed to birdie five out of the last seven holes.” This represents the lowest score that Bhatia has achieved this season.
He is currently three shots ahead of Justin Lower and Brendon Todd in the lead.
Max Homa bounced back with a score of 68.
Jordan Spieth didn’t play at his highest level while competing in his home state, but he did showcase his skill by getting a hole-in-one on the 16th hole, which was the highlight of the day.
“It was the fourth time Spieth achieved a hole-in-one in his PGA Tour career.”
WATCH SPIETH’S HOLE-IN-ONE HERE.
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