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Watch Rory McIlroy drive the green on a 400-plus-yard par 4 (thanks, altitude) at the WGC-Mexico

February 22, 2020
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(Photo by ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images)

Those arguing on either side of golf's distance debates might as well press pause for a week with the PGA Tour down at Club de Golf Chapultepec. With the course playing at nearly 8,000 feet above elevation, the pros are hitting some prodigious shots, and we're prone to seeing some enormous tee shots to make the purists arguing for a golf rollback cringe.

Enter Rory McIlroy on the 12th hole on Saturday. The 412-yard hole plays rather straight away. On the scorecard, it looks like a normal par 4. But Rory showed altitude's effects with his tee shot ... hitting it hole high with a driver blast. We've seen big tee shots at Chapultepec in the past, but this will be one of the most memorable of all big-time drives.

The Shotlink screen grab helps put the prodigious drive in perspective, too:

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As our friends at Arccos outlined earlier in the week, the 412-yard hole is essentially playing about 375 yards this week. Still, that's no par 3. But Rory made it look like one, running his driver up near the hole. An easy two-putt for birdie helped Rory keep pace with the lead in the third round.

Rory shared his adjusted stock yardages earlier this week, which was a lot to wrap our heads around. Four-hundred-plus yards isn't exactly Rory's stock driver, but he ran his tee ball right up there, showing what's possible at Chapultepec. Just another impressive blast from one of the game's most impressive drivers of the ball.