Repeating the same action and expecting a different result is often thought of as irrational. Rory McIlroy encountered this on Friday at the Tour Championship. Starting the third hole at 2-under, McIlroy faced trouble. He aimed to chip uphill to the green from about 15 yards out, but his chip lacked power.

His ball struck the slope, bounced once, then rolled back to his feet. He quickly prepared for another attempt but repeated his initial mistake, resulting in the ball rolling back yet again. On his third try, he reached the green but double-bogeyed the hole, significantly affecting his shot at the $10 million prize.

“To get cute twice in a row,” commented the ESPN+ broadcaster. “Unbelievable, you just have to err long, especially when it’s your second time.”

ESPN’s Andy North pointed out McIlroy’s tendency to make forced mistakes, contrasting him with Scottie Scheffler. “It’s very frustrating. He’s such a talented player,” North said. “When he’s on, there’s maybe nobody better than him. He just hits so many quality shots, but you can’t keep short-siding yourself, you can’t keep making mistakes with wedges.” North noted Scottie Scheffler does not make many forced errors, setting him apart from McIlroy.

McIlroy ended the day 1-under and was 3-under for the tournament. He was tied for 22nd among 30 players. At that moment, he was six strokes behind leader Ryan Gerard, who was at 9-under par.