Rory McIlroy carded a 7-under 65 at the Players Championship on Thursday despite some controversy following his tee shot on the seventh hole, which found the water, and the ensuing drop.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Despite hitting two tee shots into the water and being at the center of a controversial drop after the second one, four-time major championMcIlroy had just taken the lead at 8 under when he pulled his drive left on the par-4 seventh hole, his 16th of the round. McIlroy's ball crossed a hazard, bounced and kicked into the water.The issue was whether his ball hit above a red hazard line on the slope of a fairway bunker or below it.
Scheffler opened with a bogey on the par-4 first hole -- his only one of the round -- and then ran off three straight birdies. He picked up three more birdies on the back. "It was just a matter of whether it was above the line or below, and I thought I saw it pitch above the line ," McIlroy said." 18 was a pretty similar situation. Again, adamant it crossed, it's just a matter of where it crosses. I think this golf course more than any other, it sort of produces those situations a little bit."
Hovland walked across the fairway with his hand in his pockets and told McIlroy,"We don't know for sure that it crossed the line.""I thought it was really close," Hovland said."I can't say either way." By that time, a PGA Tour rules official had arrived. McIlroy asked him to check with the TV broadcast, but he was told there were no replays available. McIlroy took a drop and couldn't get up and down, settling for a double-bogey 6. He bounced back with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole.
Schauffele's bogey-free round of 7-under 65 was much more uneventful. He started on the back nine and made the turn at 3 under 33. Then he posted birdies on Nos. 1, 2 and 3 and another one on the par-four fifth.