Rory McIlroy’s ball moves just an inch after whiffed flop shot

Because we’re used to seeing the best players in the world pull them off at such a high rate, we sometimes forget the risk-reward nature of a flop shot. But usually that risk involves hammering the ball over the green or getting under it too much, not missing the ball.

Rory McIlroy caught a fluffy lie to the side of the 9th green, and on a par-5 he should birdie almost every time, gave away a shot with this near-whiff. McIlroy barely brushed the ball, which settled just an inch or so from its original position (shades of Russell Henley at the Open last year, except his ball went backwards).

Here’s a close up view of the lie and the chunk of cabbage he took after two shots from that position.