Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth were involved in a heated debate over where the Northern Irishman’s golf ball crossed into the water.
Rory McIlroy clashes (!) with Jordan Spieth over drop at the Players
Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth were involved in a heated debate during the first round of the Players.
The focus of the conversation was over where McIlroy’s ball landed on the par-4 seventh hole at TPC Sawgrass.
There was confusion as to whether the Ulsterman’s TP5x landed above or below the red line next to the fairway bunker before bouncing into the water.
It was the second time in his opening 18 holes that McIlroy found a watery grave with his tee shot and wasn’t sure where to drop.
McIlroy was adamant his golf ball landed above the red line before finding the water. Spieth wasn’t so sure.
“I’m pretty comfortable I saw it above the red line,” McIlroy told Viktor Hovland, who was standing in the middle of the fairway.
Hovland said he thought it was close but he couldn’t say for sure. Then Spieth joined the conversation and the debate turned up a notch.
The whole exchange lasted around 12 minutes and it took the group 25 minutes to play the whole. Although they were waiting on the group in front.
Spieth believed ‘everybody’ caught the ball landing below the line and therefore McIlroy wasn’t entitled to drop where he was standing.
Said McIlroy: “Who is everybody? Who are you talking about, Jordan?”
Spieth said the TV crew saw McIlroy’s ball land below the line, although he conceded there was no actual footage.
He reminded McIlroy it’s ultimately up to him to determine where to drop.
What a sport pic.twitter.com/iFkuzDkHrV
— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) March 14, 2024
A rules official was called and McIlroy explained: “I think that my ball bounced above the red line but it’s not definitive.
“I’m very comfortable that it did but we’re trying to check with TV and they can’t say.”
Spieth then chimed in: “I think we can all agree that it crossed some land, it’s just a matter of where the drop is. Because it was so close.”
McIlroy told Spieth that he was dropping his golf ball ‘back’ of where it kicked into the water. “I’m sort of trying to split the difference,” he said.
Watch the whole exchange here:
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland discuss McIlroy’s drop on No. 7.
Rory makes double bogey to move from solo leader to T2. pic.twitter.com/dkV6a5Q22W
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 14, 2024
McIlroy went on to make a double bogey six on the hole after taking a drop.
The four-time major champion then made a closing birdie at the ninth hole return a scorecard of 7-under 65. He started on the back nine.
