Rory McIlroy hits epic shot where divot goes as far as ball, charges up Italian Open leaderboard

Rory McIlroy produced a jaw-dropping flop shot as he moved to the top of the leaderboard at the Italian Open. The world No. 2 finished his final hole in near darkness, a number of players were not so fortunate and will need to return on Saturday to complete their second rounds, on a day when play was terribly slow in part due to the difficulty of the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club course.

Ad McIlroy's play was a little mixed for the second day in a row, but he created enough chances to card a 66 to get to nine-under. DS Automobiles Italian OpenRyder Cup captain Donald hits wrong ball at Italian Open3 HOURS AGO McIlroy opened his round with four pars on the spin, but that did not tell the whole story as the final one had to be seen to be believed. His tee shot at the par three was not far off line, but it came to rest in the thick rough to the left of the green.

Playing to a downslope, McIlroy’s options were limited and he went for the highest tariff of all, a high flop shot. It was not for the faint hearted, as anything but pure contact could have been disastrous. He executed the shot to perfection — and for added style points the divot he took landed further onto the green than the ball.

For good measure, McIlroy rolled in the par putt and one hole later he got his round moving with a birdie. Second Round Leaderboard 1. Rory McIlroy, nine-under 2.

Matt Fitzpatrick, eight-under 3. Tom Lewis, seven-under 4. Victor Perez, six-under T5.

Lucas Herbert, five-under T5. Tyrrell Hatton, five-under T5. Jordan Smith, five-under T5.

Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, five-under T5. Luke Donald, five-under T5. Joost Luiten, five-under McIlroy’s play was a little mixed around the turn as he made two bogeys and two birdies.