McIlroy loses a club head and the lead in eventful 67 in first round at the BMW PGA Championship

VIRGINIA WATER, England (AP) — Rory McIlroy lost the club head on his 9-iron and then lost a chance to take the first-round lead by going out of bounds on the last hole in an eventful 5-under 67 at the BMW PGA Championship on Thursday.

The No. 3-ranked McIlroy was two strokes off the lead held by No. 363-ranked Matthew Baldwin in the flagship event on the European tour, having bounced back well from the pain of being denied victory at his home Irish Open last week.

McIlroy had already produced a rare back-handed putt next to a water hazard to help salvage a par at No. 8 by the time he overcame a bizarre incident on the par-5 No. 12, which saw the head of his 9-iron detach from the shaft and fly down the fairway after McIlroy took his second shot.

The Northern Irishman said he didn’t even see the ball reach the green and settle inside 7 feet from the pin to set up one of his seven birdies.

“It was a bit of a weird feeling,” McIlroy said. “Obviously you’re expecting the weight of the club to just pull through and there was nothing there.”

McIlroy got the 9-iron fixed and had it back in the bag by the 16th hole, ahead of two par 5s that complete the West Course at Wentworth. He made par at No. 17 despite hooking his drive into the trees but dropped a shot at the last when he hit his second shot to the right of the green and into the trees, the ball eventually reaching a pathway that was OB.

A bogey dropped McIlroy out of a share of the lead at the time with Denmark's Niklas Norgaard (66), who won the British Masters this month for his first European tour title.

Baldwin was among the afternoon starters and went one better than Norgaard, with a tap-in birdie at No. 18 completing a bogey-free 65.

A tie for 12th at the Czech Masters last month and a tie for 18th at the British Masters was a return to form for the unheralded Baldwin after four straight missed cuts across June and July.

“It was lovely,” the Englishman said. “I feel like my game is pretty strong for a while, and to actually put it into a performance is nice.”

Thomas Detry, also playing in the afternoon, shot 66 to share second place with Norgaard.

McIlroy was playing four days after a runner-up finish at the Irish Open to Rasmus Hojgaard, who closed with three straight birdies to beat the local hero on Sunday.

“The nice thing about disappointments is that if you have something in this next week, it’s nice to keep busy and keep your mind focused on something else,” the 35-year-old McIlroy said.

McIlroy was in a tie for fourth in a large group that contained fellow Ryder Cup players Shane Lowry and Robert MacIntyre, 2021 champion Billy Horschel as well as Victor Perez of France, who also bogeyed No. 18 — after hitting his second into the water in front of the green — to drop out of the lead.

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Tommy Fleetwood attends the day one of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Shane Lowry attends the day one of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England, Thursday, September 19, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Danny Willett in action during the day one of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England, Thursday, September 19, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Robert MacIntyre attends the day one of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England, Thursday, September 19, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Billy Horschel in action on day one of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England, Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Rory McIlroy attends the day one of the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Golf Club in Virginia Water, Surrey, England, Thursday, September 19, 2024. (Zac Goodwin/PA via AP)

Manchester City’s stunning slump continued Saturday with a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.

Goals from Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers at Villa Park consigned the four-time defending champion to a ninth defeat in 12 games in a season that is unravelling. Pep Guardiola’s team has won just once during that run.

“We have to stay positive, even though it’s difficult, and we have to keep working hard,” City striker Erling Haaland said.

Phil Foden pulled a goal back for City in stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough to spark a late comeback.

City dropped to sixth in the standings — nine points below leader Liverpool, having played two games more. Villa climbed to fifth.

City’s remarkable fall shows little sign of stopping, with Guardiola admitting last week that he had not been good enough to turn his team’s form around.

Defeat meant the once-dominant City is without a win in any of its last eight away games in all competitions. While it looks unlikely to win a fifth-straight title, a place in the top four and Champions League qualification could also be in jeopardy.

“We concede the goals we don’t concede in the past, we (don’t) score the goals we score in the past,” Guardiola said. “We have to think positive and I have incredible trust in the guys. Some of them have incredible pride and desire to do it. We have to find a way, step by step, sooner or later to find a way back.”

Only once under Guardiola has City managed to win the title when losing six times in the league. That was in the 2020-21 campaign, when it lost two of its last three games, having already been confirmed champion.

City lost nine times when Liverpool won the title in '19-20, but its sixth defeat didn't come until the February of that campaign. Guardiola also lost six times in the league in his first season in English soccer in '16-17 and City finished third in the standings.

The latest defeat could have been even more emphatic against a dominant Villa. Duran scored his sixth goal in as many starts in the 16th minute from Rogers’ assist.

Duran had a goal disallowed for offside in the second half and Rogers hit the post before doubling Villa’s lead in the 65th.

Foden's goal in the third minute of added time came too late for City.

James Robson is at https://twitter.com/jamesalanrobson

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola, center, and players leave the field at the end of the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers, center, celebrates with teammates after scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Aston Villa's Jhon Duran celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's head coach Pep Guardiola reacts during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)

Manchester City's Phil Foden reacts after Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers scoring his side's second goal during the English Premier League soccer match between Aston Villa and Manchester City, at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Rui Vieira)