Rory McIlroy splashes a shot from out of a water hazard, saves par

Rory McIlroy is making his return to competitive golf on Thursday, following an extended break after ankle surgery. He didn’t have much time to shake off the rust, as he found some challenging situations early on. The most dubious came at No. 5 when McIlroy opted to play a shot out of a shallow water hazard.

For whatever reason, McIlroy chose to roll up only one pant leg. Maybe he liked the look, or maybe he was keeping his surgically repaired ankle out of view as the announcers speculated. Either way, it worked. McIlroy avoided a penalty stroke by playing the shot and followed it up with a made putt to save par.

The shot may have never happened without a little assist. McIlory appeared to be considering taking a drop back in the fairway. Jordan Spieth had made his way up to the green and took a look at McIlroy’s ball. Seeing it was possibly playable, Spieth waved McIlroy up to let him know there was a shot.