British Open 2025: Rory McIlroy hitting another golf ball by accident is one of the most bizarre moments in golf history

If you played enough golf like Rory McIlroy, you'd think you've seen everything that can happen on a golf course. If you've watched as much golf as his fans have through the years, you'd think the same. Wrong.

During Saturday's third round of the British Open at Royal Portrush, the five-time major champ created one of the most bizarre moments in golf history. When he accidentally hit two golf balls. At the same time.

The unusual scene happened on McIlroy's second shot on the par-4 11th. McIlroy had appeared to draw a good lie in the rough, but what he nor anyone else realized is that his golf ball was resting right near/on top of another golf ball buried in the grass. So when he hit his ball, the other one popped up into the air and to his feet.

After McIlroy's approach came up short—likely due to the double hit—the stunned Northern Irishman picked up the ball and held it up for the crowd to see in disbelief. Let's show you what happened so you can see for yourself:

What a wild scene. Fortunately for McIlroy, there's no penalty for that happening. Unfortunately for McIlroy, he still wound up making bogey on the hole, his first on a day when he's trying to make a charge up the leaderboard.

As for the extra ball? Rory tossed it back into the rough. So, there could be a fan search party out for that potentially valuable keepsake after the round.

UPDATE: Never mind, call the search off. This guy beat everyone to it:

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Is it the British Open or the Open Championship? The name of the final men’s major of the golf season is a subject of continued discussion. The event’s official name, as explained in this op-ed by former R&A chairman Ian Pattinson, is the Open Championship. But since many United States golf fans continue to refer to it as the British Open, and search news around the event accordingly, Golf Digest continues to utilize both names in its coverage.