One adorable reptile nearly got too close to a trick shot by one of golf’s biggest stars on Tuesday at Augusta National.
Rory McIlroy took a skip shot across a pond on the par-3 16th hole during a practice round at the famed golf course, but it nearly took out a curious little turtle that was on the other side of the water, presumably trying to get a peek at McIlroy before the Masters begins later this week.
The shot took four hops across the water, hit the edge of the grass and bounced right near the animal, which didn’t appear to be fazed by the near strike from the ball.
It’s unclear where the turtle went after his near brush with fame, but the reptile did have some of the best access to the course at Augusta, a course that McIlroy is looking to be victorious on this week as he still looks for his first green jacket.
Masters/X
McIlroy has come up short a number of times, including a second-place finish in 2022 at the Masters, but the Northern Irishman has already captured two PGA Tour wins this season as he tries to complete the career majors slam.
“It’s just narratives, it’s just noise and it’s just trying to block out that noise as much as possible,” McIlroy said during a press conference. “I need to treat this tournament like all the other tournaments that I play throughout the year. I understand the narrative and the noise, and there’s a lot of anticipation and build-up coming into this tournament each and every year, but I just have to keep my head down and focus on my job.”
McIlroy will tee off shortly after 1 p.m. on Thursday for the official start of the tournament and will be paired with Ludvig Åberg and Akshay Bhatia.
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