It's hard to fully explain the feeling one gets when watching a tour pro hit a shank. We're accustomed to watching the world's best players hit every shot more pure than most of us can dream about hitting. So when we saw Rory McIlroy clank one off the scoreboard at the PGA Championship warming up for his third round on Saturday, it was again equal shocking and riveting.
No, this wasn't a tournament-round shank, which we've seen from time to time over the past couple years. But this shank from Rory on at Bellerive Country Club was as bad as we've seen. And though we've seen some lesser-known players hit shanks, we can't remember a more high-profile player like Rory hitting a shank like this.
Avert the eyes … or hone in:
Want to break down the shank in slow-mo? Sure you do. TNT slowed down that shank a little slower after showing it in real-time.
It's usually not good when someone holds their finish like this. Rory could've been trying to pull off some crazy flop shot or something, so let's not overreact. But like we said, it's still shocking nonetheless.
These split screens are not for the faint of heart:
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