Rory McIlroy hit it into the water twice Thursday at The PLAYERS Championship and nonetheless fired off a 7-under 65.
Nevertheless, his tee shot on the par-4 seventh created some controversy between him and his enjoying companions, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland. He hit a low projected shot that appeared to bounce into the water.
The incident caught everybody’s consideration as a result of rulings don’t often take so long as this one did to determine.
That’s partially as a result of each Spieth and Hovland questioned whether or not Rory’s tackle it was right.
After his spherical, McIlroy addressed the scenario.
“It was only a matter of whether or not it was above the road or beneath, and I assumed I noticed it pitch above the road,” McIlroy defined. “I used to be adamant that I noticed it bounce above the purple line, however when somebody is available in and says, ‘Nicely, somebody thought that it didn’t.’ Then you definitely’re like—it simply places some doubt in your thoughts. Once more, it’s as much as you to be snug sufficient along with your resolution that you just did see what you noticed.”
McIlroy took a drop at the place he believed the ball crossed the out-of-bounds line and into the water. That didn’t seem to take a seat properly with Hovland, because the 2019 PLAYERS champion made it clear he thought the ball had crossed additional again towards the tee field.
In the meantime, Spieth was involved over whether or not or not the ball truly bounced beneath the OB marker, and never above it as McIlroy claimed it had. That will have made a major distinction as to the place McIlroy would then play his third shot.
It didn’t assist that the place the place the ball went into the water will not be seen from the varied digital camera angles used to broadcast the event. It’s basically a blind spot.
“I began to doubt myself somewhat bit,” mentioned McIlroy. “I used to be like, ‘Okay, did I truly see what I assumed I noticed?’ However I imply, so long as — I used to be snug, and I used to be simply ensuring that Jordan and Viktor have been snug, too.”
It doesn’t seem that Spieth or Hovland prompt McIlroy did one thing mistaken. But, neither spoke to the media after the spherical, so one is aware of for positive how they really feel about it.
From the video, although, as soon as they obtained on the identical web page, each agreed with McIlroy’s resolution to drop the place he did.
Hovland is a stickler for guidelines, as he was concerned in an analogous scenario with Daniel Berger at The 2022 PLAYERS Championship. He remained steadfast in that state of affairs, so for him to finally agree with McIlroy’s resolution mentioned lots.
In the event you recall through the Berger/Hovland saga in 2022, Gary Younger, chief referee that week, actually stood in the course of the place Hovland/Dahmen felt Berger’s ball final crossed and the place Berger believed it had final crossed and mentioned “perhaps somehwere within the center right here? a… https://t.co/wHFHFxcdXa pic.twitter.com/lAyp2KdOq8
— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) March 14, 2024
Spieth additionally appeared to be defending the sport’s integrity. They each wished to make sure he didn’t have one other guidelines infraction like McIlroy did on the AT&T Pebble Seaside Professional-Am.
“I feel Jordan was simply making an attempt to ensure I used to be doing the best factor,” McIlroy mentioned. “I used to be fairly positive my ball had crossed the place I used to be type of dropping it. It’s so exhausting as a result of there was no TV proof. I used to be adamant.”
McIlroy finally settled for a double-bogey that gap, so his drop didn’t find yourself serving to him.
The Northern Irishman tied a file with 10 birdies on the day. It was fairly the advance from final week’s struggles on the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Kudos to the PGA Tour for posting your entire interplay, although. The Tour doesn’t often publish these issues throughout event play.
The trio will play once more collectively on Friday at 1:40 p.m. ET as they give the impression of being to make the reduce and play for giant cash.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By means of. For extra golf protection, make sure you observe us @_PlayingThrough on all main social platforms. It’s also possible to observe her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.