Rory McIlroy made a good start at the Players Championship (Image: The Associated Press)
Rory McIlroy steered clear of adding fuel to the fire by refusing to discuss an incident a fan heckled him at the Players Championship. The Northern Irishman produced a stellar opening round at the Players Championship where he carded an impressive 67. McIlroy, who netted seven birdies alongside two bogeys, finished just one stroke adrift of the leading trio comprising Lucas Glover, JJ Spaun, and Camilo Villegas, despite confessing to some fortunate breaks after only hitting four fairways.
His round was capped off by a remarkable recovery from the pine straw on the 18th, culminating in a birdie finish. However, when approached about an episode with a spectator during a practice session earlier in the week, McIlroy declined to comment on the confrontation. “No, you can’t,” he quipped to a journalist who asked if he could probe into the details, later elaborating with a chuckle: “Because I don’t want you to.”
The incident that sparked the controversy saw McIlroy’s drive plunge into the water on the 18th hole, which prompted a jibe from a spectator referencing McIlroy’s infamous meltdown at Augusta back in 2011.
Footage circulated on social media seemingly captures McIlroy confronting the person, allegedly confiscating their phone temporarily.
Luke Potter is a University of Texas golfer and was the person involved in the incident. He later expressed remorse via Golf Channel, conceding he had erred: “I just made a mistake, and I take ownership for it. I apologise for it. That’s about all that needs to be said.”
According to Golf.com, John Fields, Potter’s coach, said: “It’s an embarrassing moment. It is particularly sensitive to me because our program is built on respect for the game.”
Rory McIlroy watches his tee shot on the third hole during the first round of The Players Championship (Image: The Associated Press)
Fields revealed that Potter has since extended written apologies to both McIlroy and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
In the opening round, Glover had set the tone with a remarkable finish, sinking birdies on the final four holes to establish the early clubhouse benchmark, later matched by Spaun and Villegas. Glover observed: “The margins are razor thin here, akin to say Augusta or Bay Hill. You get off just a little, you can make big numbers in a hurry.
“So I happened to have a bunch of good numbers today and a bunch of good yardages and was able to be aggressive and I putted great. But any time you get off to a good start it gives you confidence.”
English golfers Aaron Rai and Laurie Canter trailed by two strokes at four under, while Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre concluded the round with a three-under-par 69.