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Rory McIlroy had to take two drops during the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship 2024, one on the 18th hole and the other on the 7th. The latter was especially controversial and even caused McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland to debate for several minutes over the correct way to proceed.
The play occurred when Rory McIlroy sent his shot from the seventh tee into the water. McIlroy made the drop corresponding to an unplayable ball, but the point he chose for it caused controversy with his colleagues.
The event was captured live on the event's broadcast and the video was posted in full by the PGA Tour on its social media profiles. On X (formerly Twitter) it has had more than a million views in three hours.
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The video shows how Rory McIlroy makes the drop in the penalty zone and Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth approach him to clarify the chosen point. Apparently, both thought the drop should have been made several yards further back.
The rules official who responded to the scene asked Rory McIlroy to describe the trajectory of the ball. To this the Northern Irishman responded (via the PGA Tour):
"Sorta low, wasn't carrying that far."
McIlroy subsequently claimed that he was not sure where he had crossed the ball into the water and that he had tried to choose a "safe" spot to make the drop. Spieth and Hovland weren't sure either.
After eight minutes of debating the matter, Spieth, Hovland, McIlroy, and the rules official agreed to leave the ball where the Northern Irishman had dropped it. McIlroy ended up making a bogey on the hole.
Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland's performance in the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship
Rory McIlroy finished the round with a score of 7 under, with 10 birdies, one bogey and a double bogey. His 10 birdies was a record for a round at TPC Sawgrass. In addition, McIlroy went to the clubhouse on top of the leaderboard, tied with Xander Schauffele.
Viktor Hovland finished the round with a score of 1 over, with three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. He is temporarily placed at T86.
Jordan Spieth, for his part, finished with a score of 2 over, with four birdies and six bogeys. This temporarily places him in T111.
