Painful replays will hurt McIlroy

The fine will not bother Rory McIlroy, but what probably will are the replays of his frustration boiling over. The club flew out of his hand in anger at Wentworth on Thursday and some rare criticism duly headed in the direction of the young Northern Irishman. McIlroy is famous for the boyish smile and unaffected nature with which he approaches a profession for which he is born and, to be fair, this was a highly uncharacteristic reaction. Lest we forget, there is a fierce competitor behind everyone's favourite golfer. As he watched his second shot head out of bounds on the par-five 12th, the fury at an attempted fade becoming a ruinous pull burned deep. And then his club headed into a bunker. Farewell, seven-iron. The bogey six led to a 74 which left him eight off the pace after the first round of the BMW PGA Championship. After missing his third cut in a row at the Players' Championship a fortnight ago, the world No. 1 was threatening to double up at another course which does not bow to his majesty.McIlroy's last two visits to Surrey have yielded a tie for 24th and a tie for 48th. Strangely, the admiral-elect of golf turns into a midshipman come the flagship events of the European and PGA Tours. The Tour's usual policy is not to publicise fines. But McIlroy should expect a bill. McIlroy was a picture of despondency after signing for a card which featured an eagle, three birdies, five bogeys and a double bogey on the 16th. "It was a bit of deja vu from last year," he said, thinking back to his five-over beginning in 2011. "On the 12th, I was trying to hold it up against the wind and double-crossed it. I was out-of-bounds by an inch." However unfair it may be to overstate the misguided passion of a 23-year-old, it was inevitable McIlroy's response to adversity would be compared to that of his compadre Graeme McDowell. McIlroy threw a club, McDowell had the rule book thrown at him. The latter provided an exhibition in chin-taking when he was hit with a two-shot penalty. McDowell's punishment came as a result of him daring to step to within six feet of his ball. And so his bogey six at the 18th became a triple bogey eight and a 72 turned into a 74. "It's a harsh one - one of those freak scenarios in golf," he said.