Rory McIlroy became the center of two different drop debates during an adventurous 18 holes at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday.
With McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Viktor Hovland playing the back nine first, the Northern Irishman hooked a drive into the lake beside the 18th fairway. After a lengthy discussion between the three players and their caddies, it was determined that McIlroy could drop further up the hole instead of having to re-tee.
When McIlroy found water again on No. 7, the ensuing lengthy conversation provided riveting drama.
The group debated whether McIlroy's ball bounced above or below the hazard line before finding water. While it was determined that it bounced above the line, allowing McIlroy to drop at the point of entry instead of re-teeing with his third stroke, Spieth's boisterous response grabbed a lot of attention.
"I think Jordan was just trying to make sure I was doing the right thing," McIlroy told reporters after the round. "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 I was going to do the right thing."
McIlroy bogeyed No. 18 following his first drop and double-bogeyed the seventh for his only rounds over par Thursday. They were the only blemishes on a day where he tied the single-round Players Championship record at TPC Sawgrass with 10 birdies.
"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 said. "I'm a big believer in karma, and if you do something wrong, I feel like it's going to come around and bite you at some point. I obviously don't try to do anything wrong out there, and (I) play by the rules and do the right thing. I feel like I obviously did that those two drops."
McIlroy finished Thursday with a share of the clubhouse lead with Xander Schauffele. However, both Hovland and Spieth sit eight and nine shots back of the lead, respectively. Neither met with the media following the round.