NBC Sports Playing Through does everything but show Rory’s shot end up in the hole

Rory McIlroy had two birdies in his first round at the Genesis Invitational, one on Torrey Pines’ 18th hole and one (or at least we think he had one) on the par-3 eighth. To be honest, we’re not 100 percent sure because it was impossible to actually see the ball drop into the hole on TV.

Due to some unfortunate timing and a wipe left for the ages, McIlroy’s chip-in from just over 56 feet was eclipsed by the NBC Sports Playing Through graphic. There’s no one to blame here, of course, but it’s an incredible clip to see the shot, the ball rolling and then *bam* the hole all by its lonesome.

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Twitter/X had some fun with it, as it often does, with the responses ranging from “Absolutely criminal” to “Need a big tv” to “I was hoping somebody recorded this 😂 the epitome of golf coverage.”

Because The Loop is known for its investigative journalism, we looked into this ordeal and found that McIlroy did in fact have a birdie. OK, we just went to the PGA Tour’s website and found a clip from a different angle. It’s Friday. Cut us some slack.

The reason for these Playing Through segments is to keep the focus on golf with some commercials on the side, so we can’t really complain. It was just the worst possible time for a graphic, especially on a blustery round when birdies were in short supply.