As Rory McIlroy makes his first return to action since his disappointing second-place finish at the US Open in Pinehurst last month, he gets a moving boost when he steps onto the golf course at the Scottish Open.
A plaque has been placed in the Renaissance Club to commemorate McIlroy’s penultimate shot of last year’s tournament, which secured victory.
McIlroy’s approach to the green was more than 200 yards out, landing 11 feet from the pin while playing into a 40-mile-per-hour wind.
Video of the shot shows the clear topspin on the ball, as well as the windy conditions with the pin flag blowing from left to right. McIlroy showed rare emotion on the course in the middle of the round after the shot, laughing at how well he placed the ball, knowing how difficult the shot was.
McIlroy secured the victory with a birdie putt on his next shot.
Rory McIlroy has been in the news for many non-golf related reasons in recent months
After his disappointment at the US Open, McIlroy is back in action in Scotland this weekend
The last few months for McIlroy have been hectic, both mentally and physically.
The golfing world was shocked by the news that McIlroy had filed for divorce from his wife Erica Stoll on May 13, just days before the start of one of the biggest tournaments of the year, the PGA Championship.
The event was played at Valhalla in Kentucky and McIlroy won the last time a major tournament was held at the course.
The Northern Irishman failed to live up to expectations that day, but was given a chance to redeem himself at the US Open.
Just days before the big tournament began, McIlroy announced that he was calling off his split from Stoll. Since then, the pair and their daughter Poppy, 3, have been spotted together in public.
However, that professional comeback only left McIlroy in even more despair on the court.
McIlroy missed two putts from under six feet to miss out on his first major tournament title in more than a decade.
McIlroy quickly left the course in North Carolina after the one-stroke loss to Bryson DeChambeau and has not competed in a tournament since.
Now that he is back home and his personal life has calmed down, McIlroy is eager to win on the links again.