Rory McIlroy nearly missed his tee off time in the third Ryder Cup singles matches at Medinah Country Club on Sunday following a mixup over times.
The world No.1 was seen being driven hastily into the course with 10 minutes to go before he was due to take on Keegan Bradley. He rapidly pulled his golf shoes on and acknowledged skipper Jose Maria Olazabal before heading straight to the practice putting green.
US TV reports said that McIlroy in his hotel room had mistaken eastern seaboard time for Chicago time which is one hour later.
McIlroy promptly pushed his first drive into the crowds lining the side of the first fairway and the ball bounced back to nestle in a bunch of TV cables.
He got relief from that but then badly underhit his approach shot. A superb chip stone dead ensured his par, and the hole was halved.
"We didn't have that in mind," said Olazabal of McIlroy's no-show drama.
"All of a sudden we realised that he wasn't here. We looked for him and nobody knew where he was. He came in with a police escort and made it with 10 or 12 minutes before he was due to tee off," he said.
