Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland did not speak to the media after two rules debates with Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship.
World no.2 McIlroy shot 65 to lead golf’s unofficial fifth major alongside Xander Schauffele and Wyndham Clark, but his brilliant opening round was overshadowed by two controversial drops.
The first came on 18, his ninth hole of the day, when Spieth and Hovland appeared sceptical that McIlroy’s tee shot crossed land before finding the water.
They ultimately let the four-time major winner drop 200 yards up the fairway, as opposed to the tee box, but more drama would follow at the 7th hole.
McIlory found water from the tee once again, but was certain his ball bounced above the red hazard line before getting wet, giving him a more favourable drop.
Ryder Cup stars Hovland and Spieth both questioned whether this was right, with multiple eye witnesses claiming the ball bounced below the red line.
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Again, with no evidence on camera, the players were told their consensus was all that mattered, and McIlroy was allowed to proceed with his original drop.
Limited TV footage appears to vindicate McIlroy: one angle from across the fairway shows the ball bouncing to eye-level, which would be unlikely if it landed on the steep slope below the red line.
While the Northern Irishman took multiple questions from reporters about the two incidents, Hovland and Spieth made a beeline from the scoring tent after their rounds, staying silent on the issue.
McIlroy said: “I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing.
“I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence.
“If anything I was being conservative with it. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field, as well.
“I was adamant, but I guess I started to doubt myself a little bit. I was like, ‘OK, did I actually see what I thought I saw?’. It is a bit of a (television) blind spot. I think the best view was from the tee, which was the view that we had.”
McIlroy insisted his conscience was clear heading into round two at TPC Sawgrass on Friday.
The 34-year-old added: “I’m comfortable. I think that’s the most important thing.
“I feel like I’m one of the most conscientious golfers out here, so if I feel like I’ve done something wrong, it’ll play on my conscience for the rest of the tournament.
“I’m a big believer in karma and if you do something wrong, I feel like it’s going to come around and bite you at some point.
“I obviously don’t try to do anything wrong out there, and play by the rules and do the right thing. I feel like I obviously did that those two drops.”
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News Summary:
- Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland stay silent as Rory McIlroy addresses drop controversy at The Players
- Check all news and articles from the latest Golf updates.