WATCH: The entire fiasco involving Rory McIlroy’s ball drop scandal with Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth 

Rory McIlroy was involved in one of the most controversial plays of the first day of THE PLAYERS Championship. So much so that the solution required several minutes and also involved Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland.

The play occurred on the par-4 452-yard 7th hole. Rory McIlroy sent his tee shot into the water and had to take a penalty stroke. The controversy arose due to the place chosen by the Northern Irishman to drop his ball.

The moment was broadcast live on television and the video was posted by the PGA Tour on X (formerly Twitter). The video shows complete coverage of the moment (8 minutes) and reached 1.4 million views in four hours.

In the footage, you can see how Rory McIlroy drops the ball, and almost immediately, Viktor Hovland approaches the position. Seconds later, Jordan Spieth does the same.

Although the hot mics capture fragments of the dialogue, the entire conversation between the players and the rules official present on the scene is not entirely heard. However, what can be seen is that there were doubts about whether Rory McIlroy had dropped the ball in the correct place, or whether it should have been done a few yards further back.

Finally, it can be seen that the ball remained in the same place where Rory McIlroy had dropped it. The Northern Irishman ended up making a double bogey on the hole, failing a 12-foot putt for a bogey.

Rory McIlroy about the drop on the 7th: "If anything, I was being conservative with it"

At the end of the first round, McIlroy was approached by journalists covering THE PLAYERS Championship. The topic of the controversy on the 7th hole occupied an important part of McIlroy's press conference.

This was part of what the Northern Irishman said (via Golf.com):

"I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing. I mean, 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. I was adamant. But I think, again, he was just trying to make sure that I was going to do the right thing."

"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 was just trying to make sure that what happened was the right thing."

Mcilroy finished the first round with a score of 7 under. In addition, he made 10 birdies, a record for 18 holes in THE PLAYERS Championship. This score placed him temporarily in first position, tied with Xander Schauffele.