PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Much ado about nothing.
Rory McIlroy’s 7-under 65 that gave him a share of the lead in the first round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday will be celebrated and celebrated, rather than tarnished by a controversial spot that threatens to mar it at the end. Should.
After the round, McIlroy said he was satisfied with his score and how he was playing after practicing for five hours on the range on Monday, saying he had made adjustments to his swing.
However, McIlroy’s two playing partners, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland, appear to be less happy with McIlroy’s final result after the second of two accidents in which he hit his tee shot into the water. was.
McIlroy started his round on the 10th hole, hitting his first waterball tee shot into the water to the left of the 18th fairway, dropping about 290 yards, and hitting his third shot onto the green to save bogey. .
His second work felt more controversial and even controversial.
On the seventh hole, he hit his tee shot into the water on the left side of the fairway and believed the ball landed above the red hazard line before bouncing into the water. This allowed him to drop the ball closer to where it landed.
If the ball had fallen below the red line, McIlroy would have had to make a third shot from behind where the ball first crossed the water.
During McIlroy’s drop, both Spieth and Hovland appeared to question whether McIlroy’s ball actually fell over the line, and a rules official was called. Spieth suggested that the angle of the television showed the ball might not have fallen over the line.
In the end, McIlroy was allowed to play where he landed and hit his third shot short of the green. But he was unable to improve on that with a bogey, and he hit a double to drop from the sole lead at 8 under to 6 under, one stroke behind Xander Schauffele.
McIlroy made a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole and moved into a tie for the lead with an early wave at tee time.
Hovland and Spieth, who trotted past reporters to the clubhouse, declined to speak to the media afterward when asked by PGA Tour officials. Hovland suffered a double bogey on the final hole, which was unusual considering how cooperative both players usually are.
McIlroy was informed after the round that both of his playing partners had refused to speak to reporters, and was asked if he thought everyone was happy with the decision made on No. 7, from McIlroy’s perspective. When asked, he answered: Yeah. I’m comfortable. I think that’s the most important thing. ”
Importantly, McIlroy struggled in the final round at Bay Hill last week, finishing at 7 under par with 10 birdies, tying a tournament record, despite giving up three strokes due to two missed tee shots.
“I think Jordan was just trying to make sure I was doing the right thing,” McIlroy said of the lengthy discussion about No. 7. That’s really difficult…because there was no TV evidence.
“If anything, I was conservative about it. …I think at the end of the day, we’re all trying to protect ourselves and protect the field as well. [Spieth] I was just trying to make sure what happened was the right thing. ”
Asked if it would have been “awkward” to have to have that conversation, McIlroy said: “I was adamant that I saw it bounce over the red line, but then someone came in. And I said, “Well, someone thought otherwise.” ‘, then a question arises. [But] I was comfortable and Jordan and Victor were comfortable as well. ”
But was it?
A source who was inside the ropes for that hole said Spieth told reporters on the course that he thought McIlroy should have held on both the 18th and the 7th.
However, Hovland’s caddy, Shay Knight, told reporters that he felt McIlroy was to the right on both the 7th and 18th where he received the penalty drop.
“I feel like I’m one of the most conscientious golfers here, so if I feel like I did something wrong, it’s going to weigh on my conscience for the rest of the tournament.” said McIlroy. “I’m a big believer in karma, so I feel like if you do something bad, it’s going to come back to haunt you someday. Of course I’m not out there trying to do anything bad. , following the rules and doing the right thing. Those two drops obviously feel like what I did.”
He did it.
A commotion.
