World number one Rory McIlroy claimed "it felt good" to throw his club into a lake at the WGC-Cadillac Championship but conceded it was not the right way to handle his frustration.
McIlroy flung his three-iron into the water on the eighth hole at Trump National Doral after attempting to clear the lake with his approach shot but seeing his ball splash out of bounds.
The Northern Irishman admitted his reaction sent the wrong message to golfers of all ages, and he attempted to discourage youngsters from mimicking him.
"Yeah, it isn't something that I would encourage anyone to do. I wouldn't encourage kids to do it," McIlroy said, according to Golf Central.
The 25-year-old went on to bogey the par-five hole before carding an inconsistent two-under 70 at the PGA Tour event to be 10 shots adrift of leader J.B. Holmes towards the end of Friday's action in Miami, Florida.
"It felt good at the time but right now I regret it," McIlroy said.