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 taking part in 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 normally take so long as this one did to determine.
That’s partly as a result of each Spieth and Hovland questioned whether or not Rory’s tackle it was appropriate.
After his spherical, McIlroy addressed the state of affairs.
“It was only a matter of whether or not it was above the road or beneath, and I believed I noticed it pitch above the road,” McIlroy defined. “I used to be adamant that I noticed it bounce above the pink line, however when somebody is available in and says, ‘Effectively, somebody thought that it didn’t.’ You then’re like—it simply places some doubt in your thoughts. Once more, it’s as much as you to be comfy sufficient along with your choice that you simply 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 nicely 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 really 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 just isn’t seen from the assorted digital camera angles used to broadcast the event. It’s primarily a blind spot.
“I began to doubt myself just a little bit,” mentioned McIlroy. “I used to be like, ‘Okay, did I really see what I believed I noticed?’ However I imply, so long as — I used to be comfy, and I used to be simply ensuring that Jordan and Viktor have been comfy, too.”
It doesn’t seem that Spieth or Hovland advised McIlroy did one thing incorrect. But, neither spoke to the media after the spherical, so one is aware of for certain how they really feel about it.
From the video, although, as soon as they received on the identical web page, each agreed with McIlroy’s choice to drop the place he did.
Hovland is a stickler for guidelines, as he was concerned in the same state of affairs with Daniel Berger at The 2022 PLAYERS Championship. He remained steadfast in that situation, so for him to finally agree with McIlroy’s choice mentioned rather a lot.
In the event you recall throughout 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 “possibly 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 Seashore Professional-Am.
“I believe Jordan was simply attempting to verify I used to be doing the fitting factor,” McIlroy mentioned. “I used to be fairly certain my ball had crossed the place I used to be type of dropping it. It’s so laborious as a result of there was no TV proof. I used to be adamant.”
McIlroy in the end settled for a double-bogey that gap, so his drop didn’t find yourself serving to him.
The Northern Irishman tied a report with 10 birdies on the day. It was fairly the development 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 normally publish these issues throughout event play.
The trio will play once more collectively on Friday at 1:40 p.m. ET as they appear to make the lower 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. You may also observe her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.