Buried ball baffles McIlroy in wild ride for hometown hero at British Open

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — Rory McIlroy picked up the ball from the thick rough, held it out in front of him and burst out laughing.

It was one of the most baffling things to have happened to him on a golf course.

Maybe one of the most frustrating, too.

McIlroy was on a third-round charge at the British Open on Saturday, making birdies and generating roars from the deep galleries that could be heard from a half-mile away in this corner of his native Northern Ireland.

What derailed him was almost a trick of the mind.

With one swish of his wedge, McIlroy not only hit his designated ball out of the rough to the right of the fairway on the 11th hole but also dug out another ball that had been buried underneath the turf, unbeknownst to him.

The second ball popped out of the ground and settled between his feet, much to McIlroy's surprise. “I have another golf ball,” he said with a confused smile to those around him after picking it up.

“That is the most weird, ridiculous thing I’ve ever seen,” McIlroy said later.

Indeed, it was just part of a roller-coaster round of 5-under 66 that McIlroy described as “incredible” and an “absolute pleasure.”

Three birdies in the first four holes. That bizarre trick shot on No. 11 that led to his only bogey. A bounce-back eagle from 55 feet on No. 12 — producing, in his words, “one of the largest roars I’ve ever heard on a golf course” — and a birdie on No. 15 when his approach hit the flagstick and stopped dead, a foot from the pin.

It was classic McIlroy.

But likely not enough.

At the end of a wild day on the links off the North Atlantic, McIlroy trimmed just one shot off his deficit to leader Scottie Scheffler. The gap was now six shots to a guy McIlroy labeled “inevitable.”

“The only thing that I can hope for is I get off to the same start that I got off to today, get the crowd really going,” said McIlroy, who was in a four-way tie for fourth place, “and then hopefully he (Scheffler) might be able to hear that a couple groups back and maybe feel some pressure.”

At times, it felt like McIlroy — wearing Tiger Woods red — had the support of the whole of Northern Ireland on a gorgeous day when the locals came out in force to cheer on their favorite son. He got a throaty, rock-star reception at every tee, even pats on the back as he emerged from the trouble to the right of the fairway on No. 17.

This was Rory-mania in full swing, the latest and most thrilling chapter of a homecoming three months in the making after winning the Masters to join the career Grand Slam club.

“It’s almost a celebration of what I’ve been able to accomplish,” McIlroy said. "I want to celebrate with them, too.

“I’ve just really tried to embrace everything this week. I’m having an incredible time. I’m really enjoying myself, and I feel like I’ve given myself half a chance now.”

Six years ago, the British Open returned to Royal Portrush for the first time since 1951. McIlroy shot 79 on the first day and himself out of the championship, failing to even make the weekend as he struggled to handle the expectation of a home crowd.

This week, he's welcomed the pressure. Thrived on it.

Too bad for his many fans here that Scheffler is spoiling the party.

McIlroy spent Saturday morning watching two rugby matches — New Zealand vs. France and then Australia vs. the British and Irish Lions — to take his mind away from the task in hand.

On Sunday morning, he aims to finish off the movie “Oppenheimer.” Then he'll look to find the weapons to threaten Scheffler.

A second claret jug would be amazing for McIlroy.

But whatever happens, it's been a lot of fun coming home.

“It’s absolutely incredible to play in front of these fans,” McIlroy said. “I’m just so excited to get one more day to be able to experience it.”

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

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland chips onto the 9th green during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 2nd green after putting during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland looks at the line of his putt on the 17th hole during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland acknowledges the crowd the crowd on the 16th green during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays from the rough on the 17th hole during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland goes to his ball on the 17th which landed win the crowd during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jon Super)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland chips onto the 9th green during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts on the 2nd green after putting during the third round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Saturday, July 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty on Friday called on members of the public to send any video or other evidence in the fatal shooting of Renee Good directly to her office, challenging the Trump administration's decision to leave the investigation solely to the FBI.

Moriarty said that although her office has collaborated effectively with the FBI in past cases, she is concerned by the Trump administration's decision to bar state and local agencies from playing any role in the investigation into Wednesday's killing of Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer in Minneapolis.

She also said that despite the Trump administration’s insistence that the officer who shot Good has complete legal immunity, that isn’t the case.

“We do have jurisdiction to make this decision with what happened in this case,” she said at a news conference. “It does not matter that it was a federal law enforcement agent.”

Moriarty said her office would post a link for the public to submit footage of the shooting, even though she acknowledged that she wasn't sure what legal outcome submissions might produce.

The prosecutor's announcement came on a third day of Minneapolis protests over Good's killing and a day after federal immigration officers shot and wounded two people in Portland, Oregon.

Good's wife, Becca Good, released a statement to Minnesota Public Radio on Friday saying, “kindness radiated out of her.”

"On Wednesday, January 7th, we stopped to support our neighbors. We had whistles. They had guns," Becca Good said.

“I am now left to raise our son and to continue teaching him, as Renee believed, that there are people building a better world for him,” she wrote. “That the people who did this had fear and anger in their hearts, and we need to show them a better way.”

The reaction to the Good's shooting was immediate in the city where police killed George Floyd in 2020, with hundreds of protesters converging on the shooting scene and the school district canceling classes for the rest of the week as a precaution.

On Thursday night, hundreds marched in freezing rain down one of Minneapolis’ major thoroughfares, chanting “ICE out now!” and holding signs saying, “Killer ice off our streets." And on Friday, protesters were out again demonstrating outside of a federal facility that is serving as a hub for the immigration crackdown that began Tuesday in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Authorities erected barricades outside the facility Friday.

City workers, meanwhile, removed makeshift barricades made of old Christmas trees and other debris that had been blocking the streets near the scene of Good's shooting. Officials said they would leave up a shrine to the 37-year-old mother of three.

The Portland shootings happened outside a hospital Thursday afternoon. Federal immigration officers shot and wounded a man and woman, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Venezuela nationals Luis David Nico Moncada and Yorlenys Betzabeth Zambrano-Contreras, who were inside a vehicle, and their conditions weren't immediately known. The FBI and the Oregon Department of Justice were investigating.

Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and the city council called on ICE to end all operations in the city until a full investigation is completed. Hundreds protested Thursday night at a local ICE building. Early Friday, Portland police reported that officers had arrested several protesters after asking the to get out of a street to allow traffic to flow.

Just as it did following Good's shooting, DHS defended the actions of the officers in Portland, saying it occurred after a Venezuelan man with alleged gang ties and who was involved in a recent shooting tried to “weaponize” his vehicle to hit the officers. It wasn't immediately clear if the shootings were captured on video, as Good's was.

The Minneapolis shooting happened on the second day of the immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities, which Homeland Security said is the biggest immigration enforcement operation ever. More than 2,000 officers are taking part and Noem said they have made more than 1,500 arrests.

The government is also shifting immigration officers to Minneapolis from sweeps in Louisiana, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. This represents a pivot, as the Louisiana crackdown that began in December had been expected to last into February.

Good's death — at least the fifth tied to immigration sweeps since Trump took office — has resonated far beyond Minneapolis, as protests happening in other places, including Texas, California, Detroit and Missouri.

In Washington, D.C., on Thursday, a woman held a sign that said, “Stop Trump’s Gestapo,” as hundreds of people marched to the White House. Protesters in Pflugerville, Texas, north of Austin, banged on the walls of an ICE facility. And a man in Los Angeles burned an American flag in front of federal detention center.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, President Donald Trump and others in his administration have repeatedly characterized the Minneapolis shooting as an act of self-defense and cast Good as a villain, suggesting she used her vehicle as a weapon to attack the officer who shot her.

But state and local officials and protesters rejected that characterization, with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey saying videos show the self-defense argument is “garbage.”

Several bystanders captured footage of Good's killing, which happened in a neighborhood south of downtown.

The recordings show an officer approaching an SUV stopped across the middle of the road, demanding the driver open the door and grabbing the handle. The Honda Pilot begins to pull forward and a different ICE officer standing in front of it pulls his weapon and immediately fires at least two shots at close range, jumping back as the vehicle moves toward him.

It is not clear from the videos if the vehicle makes contact with the officer, and there is no indication of whether the woman had interactions with agents earlier. After the shooting, the SUV speeds into two cars parked on a curb before crashing to a stop.

The federal agent who fatally shot Good is an Iraq War veteran who has served for nearly two decades in the Border Patrol and ICE, according to records obtained by AP.

Noem has not publicly named him, but a Homeland Security spokesperson said her description of his injuries last summer refers to an incident in Bloomington, Minnesota, in which court documents identify him as Jonathan Ross.

Ross got his arm stuck in the window of a vehicle whose driver was fleeing arrest on an immigration violation. Ross was dragged and fired his Taser. A jury found the driver guilty of assaulting a federal officer with a dangerous weapon.

Attempts to reach Ross, 43, at phone numbers and email addresses associated with him were not successful.

Associated Press reporters Steve Karnowski and Mark Vancleave in Minneapolis; Ed White in Detroit; Valerie Gonzalez in Brownsville, Texas; Graham Lee Brewer in Norman, Oklahoma; Michael Biesecker in Washington; Jim Mustian and Safiyah Riddle in New York; Ryan Foley in Iowa City, Iowa; and Hallie Golden in Seattle contributed to this report.

Protesters confront law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters' shadows are cast on the street near law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters confront law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026.(AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

An American flag burns outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Two protesters are lit by a police light as they walk outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Protesters are arrested by federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters sit on a barrier that is being assembled outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building as protesters gather in Minneapolis, Friday, Jan. 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters stand off against law enforcement outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who fatally shot Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Protesters chant and march during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer the day before, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Protesters gather during a rally for Renee Good, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, after she was fatally shot by an ICE officer the day before. (AP Photo/Adam Bettcher)

Protesters confront federal agents outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People gather around a makeshift memorial honoring the victim of a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, near the site of the shooting, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino arrives as protesters gather outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

A protester pours water in their eye after confronting law enforcement outside the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis, Minn. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)

People gather around a makeshift memorial honoring the victim of a fatal shooting involving federal law enforcement agents, near the site of the shooting, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Tom Baker)