Rory McIlroy did not have the starting stroke advantage entering East Lake, but he found some lucky stops. On the par-4 14th, the Northern Ireland native made his first bogey on Thursday, only to follow it with a birdie on the island 15th. Coming to the final hole, however, was his biggest challenge. With the horn almost about to be blown due to inclement weather conditions, McIlroy was stuck in a deep bunker with the grandstands on the back of the green and the 18th hole sitting in between. But it helps to be good at golf and have a lucky day.

McIlroy bladed his bunker shot on the par-5 18th to see it go across the green. But the ball hit the hospitality tent, bounced off the surface, and landed back on the putting surface just 17 feet away from the hole. If the ball had not rebounded to the green, McIlroy would have had to use a relief. Instead, he made the birdie to close his round on time, shooting 4-under 66 for 8th spot, five shots behind leader Russell Henley. No wonder Scottie Scheffler, hoping to close the opening round on Thursday itself, was impressed with what had just happened.

If McIlroy had taken relief, he might’ve used his time to make his play. However, with the ball returning to the green for an easy birdie, enough time was saved for the World No. 1 to complete his round, too. But he still admitted that the moment felt tense. Scottie Scheffler mentioned, “I have never rooted so hard for somebody’s ball to come back, outside of my partner in a team event.

“Because we’re walking to 18 and Bones told us they were going to blow (horn) at any second, so I’m watching his ball fly towards the grandstand. I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh, we’ve got no way of finishing this thing! So, I was relieved when I saw it come back on the green.”

Scheffler’s words carried relief, but his body language told the rest of the story. Of course, Scheffler knows a thing or two about the shot as he leads the PGA Tour this year with a 36.4% bounce-back stat. He has also finished in the top-2 in the last three seasons. But for Rory McIlroy, a lot could’ve gone wrong.

The walls on the grandstand were quite thin. The ball had more odds to land in the tent than to hit the wall and return. However, it ended as a perfect mix of luck, timing, and Rory magic under stormy skies. After the round, he also couldn’t help but acknowledge the role of fortune in his dramatic finish.

Reflecting on the birdie at 18, Rory told the media, “Yeah, pretty lucky in the end. I think as well, if it hadn’t come down and we had to drop, we mightn’t have got finished, so lucky in a lot of different ways, lucky for the score and lucky we got done. I feel like I played well enough to shoot 4-under if not better, so it was a nice and lucky way to finish.” His words underscored both his steady play and the timely break that allowed him to close with momentum.

When asked about his immediate reaction, Rory laughed at how the shot felt off the clubface. “Oh, no, pretty much. Got a little thin, came out a little faster than obviously I wanted it to, but at that point you’re just hoping that something is going to happen — all the TIO lovers are going to love that one on Twitter tonight.”

It was a candid reminder of the thin margins at East Lake, where even one swing can shift the result from disaster to brilliance. In Rory’s case, deliver the kind of finish that keeps him firmly in the hunt for the FedEx Cup and leave the fans baffled.

Fans split over Rory’s ‘lucky bounce’

Fans immediately drew parallels to the comedy classic Happy Gilmore, comparing Rory’s wild bounce and improbable result to slapstick golf moments that only seem to happen in movies. “Loved this shot, it was a Happy Gilmore kinda shot” and “Happy Gilmore did this yesterday.” Happy Gilmore, played by Adam Sandler, not only shows his long-range putts but also his ability to go to his ‘happy place‘ and hit a complicated shot over towers, use bounce-back off surfaces, and land a pretty shot right into the hole. For many, McIlroy, even if unintentionally, found his happy place at East Lake.

From there, the tone shifted toward sarcasm. “This was 100% intentional. You can see it on Scottie’s face. If it were us, that ball is in the clubhouse and OB.” Viewers joked that only a pro like Rory could “plan” such a break, while amateurs would have been re-teeing from out of bounds. Others leaned into humor even further, dropping quick quips like “Oops… ya, I meant to do that…” to capture the absurdity of the moment. However, McIlroy’s frustrated look showed that he knew what could’ve happened if the ball hadn’t bounced back.

But not everyone was laughing. Betting fans voiced their frustration, with comments such as “Not what you need when you’ve backed Scheffler for the hole,” noting how Rory’s lucky break directly impacted hole-by-hole wagers and Scheffler matchups, adding another layer of tension for those watching closely.

And then came the more pointed criticism. “Why wasn’t he penalized for not playing in the 1st event? Should have been at the #50 position in the BMW. Really he should have been DQ altogether. He laughed in your face, the fans and the sponsors. PGA is a joke. So much is broken.” Beyond the humor, Rory’s bounce reignited debates over playoff eligibility and fairness in the FedExCup, with some arguing the system favors star players at the expense of transparency and balance.

While fans’ perspectives would keep changing, McIlroy’s lucky bounce-back birdie has established his position from the opening round itself. Although he wished to be a couple of strokes down, he knows he not only ditched the weather conditions but also turned the tides for a possible win in the consecutive rounds.