I think that’s a first for Rory McIlroy in his career.

Rory McIlroy hit a bad drive on the second hole of Round 3 of the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne. It ended up in the rough next to a banana peel, which was a strange barrier.

It hit me hard twice because it was in tough grass and under a banana skin,” McIlroy said. “However, I really shouldn’t have been there.”

The rules say that players can move loose obstacles, but if they do so while the ball is moving, they will lose a stroke.

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So McIlroy hit his shot through the banana peel that had been thrown away. The ball went about 30 feet farther, which was a double bogey.

But that wasn’t the only strange thing that happened in McIlroy’s year. He also completed his career Grand Slam at the Masters. He messed up a shot on the par-5 14th hole in the trees the day before his banana problem. He said it was “not one of my finer moments.”

Also, in Round 3 of the British Open, McIlroy hit an approach shot after hitting a drive into the rough. Right after his swing, a second, hidden ball popped out of the ground.

McIlroy said later, “That is the strangest, silliest thing I’ve ever seen.”

On Saturday in Australia, something else strange happened: McIlroy shot a 3-under 68, which put him nine strokes behind the leader, Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen.

I think I’ll be too far behind to catch up tomorrow,” McIlroy said.

This story was first posted on www.si.com as Rory McIlroy Gets into a Banana Peel Conundrum After a Bad Drive at the Australian Open.