Rory McIlroy found a swimming pool with a tee shot on his way to a 6&5 defeat to Ian Poulter in his opening group game at the WGC Matchplay in Texas.
The four-time major winner’s wayward drive on Austin’s fifth hole was one of a number of errors during his defeat.
The Northern Irishman, who now has coach Pete Cowen on his team, also found water on 13 with a chip across the green as Poulter sealed the win.
The 31-year-old faces American Lanto Griffin in his next group match.
His final contest will be against Australian Cameron Smith, who finished tied second at last year’s Masters.
The 64 players at Austin are split into 16 groups of four with only the group winners advancing to the knockout stages at the weekend.
Other notable matches on the first day include the all-England game between Tyrrell Hatton and Matt Wallace as well as Lee Westwood against Ryder Cup team-mate and 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia.
