Players Championship: ‘Adamant’ Rory McIlroy says his conscience is clear after lengthy rules dispute with Jordan Spieth

World No.2 Rory McIlroy insisted he will play the rest of The Players Championship with a clear conscience after navigating a pair of rules disputes to make a fast start in Florida.

The Northern Irishman raced out of the blocks with an impressive first round seven-under 65, and could have gone even lower had it not been for two costly shots he sent into the waters of the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course.

Both errors sparked lengthy discussions with the other two golfers in his star-studded playing group, world No. 4 Viktor Hovland and three-time major champion Jordan Spieth.

The first began when McIlroy’s blistering start – six birdies across his first eight holes – came to a screeching halt at the 18th tee (the group had started from the 10th hole).

After the drive hooked left into the water alongside the fairway, the playing trio stood at the tee box discussing where McIlroy should drop the ball for his next shot.

The crux of the debate centered around where exactly the ball had crossed the red-painted hazard line. McIlroy eventually took his shot from next to the water at the start of the fairway, booming his approach some 230 yards before putting for bogey.

Spieth [left] and McIlroy look on at the 16th green.

Drop drama

It was the same point of contention that flared again – to even greater disruption – at the par-five 7th hole, when a wincing McIlroy watched another pulled-left drive bounce into a lake.

The water’s edge quickly became a hive of activity as players, caddies, camera crew and a rules official swarmed the area where McIlroy subsequently made his one-shot penalty drop. It would be more than eight minutes before he took his swing.

This time, it was all about the bounce. Under the Rules of Golf, players must take their drop from where the ball entered the hazard. If McIlroy’s shot bounced above the red line, he could take his drop from close by, within range of the green – below, and it was back more than 200 yards to the tee box for his third shot.

Broadcast footage captured the ensuing discussion, but – critically – not where the ball landed. As a result, it was down to the trio to come to an agreement based on what they saw, one rules official declared.

While McIlroy said he was “pretty comfortable” that he saw his ball bounce above the line, Ryder Cup teammate Hovland was less convinced, replying that he “couldn’t say either way.”

Spieth went a step further, telling McIlroy that “everyone” he had heard from was “100% certain” that it landed below.

Asked by McIlroy’s caddie Harry Diamond to clarify who “everyone” was, Spieth answered: “TV. They’re saying [with] their eyes, they didn’t see it on camera … it doesn’t mean anything, it is what you guys think.”

Following one final discussion with a rules official, McIlroy at last swung from what he deemed a “safe” and “conservative” original drop location. Coming up just short of the green, the four-time major winner would two-putt for a double-bogey – a frustrating end to a hole that took almost 30 minutes to complete.

Spieth lines up a putt during the first round.

‘I’m a big believer in karma’

Quizzed extensively on the incidents after returning to the clubhouse, McIlroy said he was “adamant” his ball had pitched above the line – despite Spieth and Hovland’s enquiries initially leading him to doubt what he felt he saw.

“I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed [the line] where I was dropping it,” 24-time PGA Tour winner McIlroy, chasing his second Players title after triumph in 2019, told reporters.

“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 wouldn’t say it was needless. I think he [Spieth] was just trying to make sure that what happened was the right thing.”

McIlroy made an electric start.

The 34-year-old argued the tee box offered the best view of the incident, given the “blind spot” for broadcast cameras.

“I think this golf course more than any other, it sort of produces those situations a little bit,” he replied when asked about the other similar situation at the 18th hole.

“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.”

Neither Norway’s Hovland or Spieth spoke to the media following disappointing starts, having shot one-over 73 and 74 respectively.

American duo Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele both matched McIlroy’s 65, with the latter not carding a single bogey.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler got off to a strong start in his bid to become the first player ever to defend The Players Championship, shooting 67.