From having to swap out his driver—more on that overblown “controversey” here—to making the cut on the number, it’s been a rough week at the PGA Championship for Rory McIlroy. But he’s still Rory McIlroy. And one volunteer put in an all-time effort to retrieve one of the five-time major champ’s golf balls on Sunday.
With nothing to lose in the final round, McIlroy took an aggressive line on the drivable par-4 14th at Quail Hollow and found the water. But it was what happened after McIlroy completed the hole that caught the attention of Golf Twitter.
RELATED: PGA Tour pro mocks Michael Block’s ‘wild take’ after missing cut
After taking his drop, McIlroy hit a nice pitch, but missed the par putt. And as he walked off the green, cameras caught a volunteer laid out on the ground and reaching into the water to try to find that wet TaylorMade.
Hell yeah pic.twitter.com/Zw4QqbYs6O
— No Laying Up (@NoLayingUp) May 18, 2025
OK, so with the hole over, it seems like this dude was just looking for a souvenier. But again, you can’t blame him. Those volunteers put in long hours all week! And it looks like he was at least able to come away with something for his efforts. Check out this clip captured by Kyle Porter of Norma Sport:
A volunteer here is fishing for the ball Rory hit in the water on 14 as Rory walks off the green. Amazing stuff. Not all heroes wear capes.pic.twitter.com/kPlAbcMZrX https://t.co/49bZsycEZe
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterNS) May 18, 2025
He thought he was really sly slipping that into his pocket. Meanwhile, the drone captured it all. Amazing stuff, indeed.
But again, good for him. It may be a week for McIlroy to forget, but it will be a final round to remember for that guy.
MORE GOLF DIGEST PGA CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE
PGA Championship 101: Answering all your frequently asked questions
How to watch the 2025 PGA Championship
Power Rankings: Every player in the PGA field, ranked
The 13 best bets to win at Quail Hollow
Tee times for the second round
Crunching the numbers: Why Rory McIlroy is so good at Quail Hollow
Quail Hollow’s three-hole stretch that could decide the PGA Championship
PGA Championship: Better in May or August?
Where have all the Cinderella major champions gone?
The things that still shock us from Scottie Scheffler’s bizarre arrest at the 2024 PGA
The most ‘PGA’ moments in PGA Championship history
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
