Rory McIlroy unintentionally accomplished something extremely rare on the golf course on Thursday: his 9-iron head broke off during a shot at the BMW PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy lost the club head on his 9-iron and then lost the lead by going out of bounds on the last hole in shooting an eventful 5-under 67 in the first round of the BMW PGA Championship.

Rory McIlroy’s weird year continued on Thursday in the first round of the DP World Tour’s 2024 BMW PGA Championship.

England's Matthew Baldwin eclipsed a powerful field to lead the BMW PGA Championship by one stroke after the first round at Wentworth on Thursday.

Rory McIlroy once threw his 3-wood in frustration at the 2016 British Open at Royal Troon and broke it, and there was that time at the 2015 WGC-Cadillac Championship at Doral when he angrily threw his club in the lake on the eighth hole, but the club damage that happened on Thursday during the DP World Tour’s BMW Championship was not his fault.

As England’s Matthew Baldwin claimed the first round lead with a superb seven-under-par 65, and Shane Lowry again demonstrated his liking for the West Course where he won in 2022 in also moving into contention with a 67 of his own, nobody could match the drama produced by McIlroy.

The world number three is playing in his first tournament since his home heartbreak at the Irish Open last week

Rory McIlroy suffered a wild club malfunction as the head of his club flew down the fairway alongside his golf ball. Teeing it up at the BMW PGA Championship this week, McIlroy got off to a fast start in sunny conditions in England.

Rory McIlroy survived a "rollercoaster" day which included breaking a club mid-shot as England's Matthew Baldwin enjoyed a serene journey to the top of the leaderboard in the BMW PGA Championship.