“That was 12 seconds” “He stomped on the green” – Fans call foul as Rory McIlroy makes controversial birdie at Valero Texas Open

Fans on social media have reacted to Rory McIlroy's controversial birdie at the 2024 Valero Texas Open. The Northern Irish golfer teed it up at the PGA Tour event on Thursday, April 4.

McIlroy was impressive during the event's first round, shooting 3-under-69. However, on the par-5 eighth hole, he encountered a cliffhanger situation when his ball moved across the lip of the hole before proceeding straight into it.

The PGA Tour shared a video of his shot on its X (formerly Twitter) account, with the caption stating:

"Living on the edge 😳 A buzzer beater birdie from @McIlroyRory!"

However, fans in the comments section criticized the star golfer, claiming that the ball took more than 10 seconds before it went into the hole, and thus McIlroy should have a one-stroke penalty.

"That was 12 seconds. More than the allotted 10 seconds. Better go back and assess a one stroke penalty like they did to Austin Eckroat two weeks ago," wrote a fan.

"Way longer than 10 seconds. It wasn’t a long putt and he stopped instead of walking to hole. Clear 1 shot penalty!" commented another fan.

"15 seconds from ball stopping, 1 shot penalty I'm afraid," wrote another fan.

Here are more fan reactions:

Fan reactions (Image via X(formerly Twitter))

It is important to note that McIlroy shot a bogey-free round at the Valero Texas Open on Thursday. It was his first bogey-free round since the Cognizant Classic last month.

After the first round, Akshay Bhatia took the lead in the tournament with a score of under 9.

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How did Rory McIlroy perform at the Valero Texas Open 2024?

Rory McIlroy started his game impressively in the opening round of the Valero Texas Open on Thursday, April 4. He began with a birdie on the second hole and followed up with another birdie on the eighth hole. He then shot two birdies on the front nine and concluded the day with a birdie on the 17th hole.

McIlroy finished in a tie for eighth place with Ben Griffin, Matti Schmid, Hayden Springer, Peter Kuest, Kevin Chappel, Bronson Burgoon, Russell Henley, and Adam Svensson, with a score of under 3.

The golfers will tee off for the second round of the event on Friday, April 5, from 8:20 a.m. ET. McIlroy will begin his game on the 10th hole at 8:53 a.m. ET. He will tee off in a group with Rickie Fowler and Tommy Fleetwood.

Tournament leader Akshay Bhatia will also tee off on the 10th hole at 9:15 a.m. ET is in a group with Tom Kim and Russell Henley. Hideki Matsuyama, Jordan Spieth, and Lucas Glover will start their game at 9:04 a.m. ET on the 10th hole.

Following Friday's round, only the golfers who made the cut will qualify for the third round. The final round of the tournament is scheduled to take place on Sunday, April 7.