Rory McIlroy launches his club into the water in furious explosion at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy tosses his club into the nearby water (Image: Sky Sports)

In a rare display of annoyance, Rory McIlroy hurled his driver into the nearby water after his tee shot veered wide right on the 17th at the BMW Championship. The Northern Irish golfer is not known for losing his cool, but it was clear he'd had enough when shouts of 'fore-right' echoed behind him.

As he watched his ball veer off to the rough, McIlroy swung his club at waist height. The driver bounced once before skimming off the perfectly manicured tee box and splashing into the water.

After taking a moment to see where the ball ended up, McIlroy retrieved his tee and walked over to the water's edge. The 35-year-old retrieved the club and handed it to his caddie who quickly dried it off.

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Part of McIlroy's frustration may have come from the 16th hole, where he bogeyed the par-3, bringing him back to 1-under for the round. The 17th is a par-5, easily reachable in two shots, which likely only added to McIlroy's irritation.

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Despite this, the four-time major champion managed to par the hole, as well as the 18th, finishing with a score of 71. Following his round of 70 on Thursday, McIlroy now finds himself 10 shots behind leader Adam Scott and has a lot of ground to makeup if he wants to contend.

McIlroy has been going through a somewhat inconsistent period, finishing tied-68th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship after failing to make the cut at The Open.

However, these two events were punctuated by a fifth-place finish at the Olympics.

Rory McIlroy's journey over recent months has seen dramatic twists both in his personal life and on the green. His split from wife Erica Stoll was announced just as the Masters approached, only to reverse that decision ahead of the US Open.

After a gut-wrenching second-place finish at Pinehurst No. 2, marred by missed putts, the golfer took a respite from competing.

The heartache of Pinehurst saw McIlroy step back from the sport, prior to making a return in preparation for The Open at the Genesis Scottish Open.

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Reflecting on his trials, McIlroy expressed after the US Open: "Yesterday was a tough day, probably the toughest I've had in my 17 years as a professional golfer," and he vowed, "I'm going to take a few weeks away from the game to process everything and build myself back up."

With the season nearing its end, opportunities are waning for McIlroy to leave his mark. Nevertheless, he enters the final rounds of the BMW Championship poised to conjure some of that McIlroy magic.

Rory McIlroy launches his club into the water in furious explosion at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy launches his club into the water in furious explosion at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy launches his club into the water in furious explosion at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy launches his club into the water in furious explosion at BMW Championship

Rory McIlroy launches his club into the water in furious explosion at BMW Championship