“We're all trying to protect ourselves and the field” - Rory McIlroy speaks up to the media after huge controversy at TPC Sawgrass

Rory McIlroy played a shot on the seventh hole at TPC Sawgrass into the water. That requires a drop since he cannot hit it out of the water. It comes with a penalty, but the player must then mark their drop and play from there. McIlroy dropped the ball somewhere he believed it had last bounced before entering the water.

That prompted his tee partners, Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth, to question him about it. They weren't sure he had dropped it correctly, and it led to a rather lengthy debate between the three before McIlroy could play his shot again.

The Irishman spoke to reporters who asked if the 12-minute debate was "needless" or not after the round ended. He said:

“I think Jordan [Spieth] was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing. I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. If anything I was being conservative with it."

He went on to say that he believes all parties involved were just trying to keep everything smooth and above board:

"I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field, as well. I was adamant, but I guess I started to doubt myself a little bit. I was like, ‘OK, did I actually see what I thought I saw?’ It is a bit of a [television] blind spot. I think the best view was from the tee, which was the view that we had.”

Both Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth declined to comment to reporters on the matter.

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Rory McIlroy 'comfortable' in decision to drop ball where he did

Rory McIlroy was asked a lot about the controversy. To some, it appeared that he might have been cheating. To others, it's a non-issue. McIlroy himself, however, admitted that the whole thing had him briefly questioning the decision.

Rory McIlroy discussed the controversy

After it was all said and done, McIlroy shot a double bogey on that hole and is tied with Xander Schauffele atop the leaderboard now. However, the golfer believes he made the right choice and that he wasn't wrong.

Via Yahoo! Sports, he said:

“I think so, yeah. I’m comfortable. I think that’s the most important thing. 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."

McIlroy is in prime position to win the third PLAYERS Championship title of his career, and he doesn't envision this weighing on him the rest of the way.

“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.”

Despite the controversy and the confrontation from both Hovland and Spieth, McIlroy is resolute that he made the right call and did the right thing in this situation.