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AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) – Rory’s McIlroy endured his worst Masters start on Thursday, and while it may leave a mark on his psyche, the Northern Irishman’s father may have felt the pain even more after being struck by one of his classmates. errant shots of the son. McIlroy, who knocked out a pool two weeks ago at a Match Play event in Austin, hit his father in the left leg with his second shot on par four of the seventh hole en route to one of six bogeys during a four. -over-par 76. The former world number one, who was hiding behind a tree to the left of the fairway and at an awkward angle to the green, yelled “bow” as his approach sailed to the other side of the fairway. where he knew his father was standing. “He knew it was my dad when he pointed at him,” McIlroy said. “Probably 30 seconds before I hit him.” McIlroy’s father seemed fine when he walked away from the incident and even joked with a nearby reporter that he was going to demand an autographed glove from his son. “He’s seen me sign a lot of things over the years, so I think that’s the least of his concerns,” McIlroy said. “I think he just needs to put ice on it, maybe autograph a bag of frozen peas. For McIlroy, this week marks his seventh attempt to complete the Grand Slam of the four majors of golf and follows an inconsistent stretch in which bad play has far exceeded any good period. At last year’s Masters, played in much milder conditions in November, McIlroy rallied from a starting 75 to finish tied for fifth.