Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland have spirited debate over penalty drop during The Players

Rory McIlroy, Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth had an animated discussion on the seventh hole of The Players Championship’s first round Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.

The hole started with McIlroy’s tee shot bouncing into the water. McIlroy and his caddie thought they had found the spot where it bounced before it hit the water boundary. 

However, it sparked some pushback from Hovland and Spieth as they debated with McIlroy and a rules official.

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Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland hits his tee shot on the 15th tee during the first round of The Players Championship Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.  (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

"I'm pretty comfortable I saw it above the red line," McIlroy said while standing in between the sand trap and the red boundary. "I’m pretty comfortable that I thought that it did — that it landed above the red line."

Spieth said everyone he heard that had eyes on the ball said it "landed below the line."

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Jordan Spieth of the U.S. plays his tee shot on the 15th hole during the first round of The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass March 14, 2024, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (David Cannon/Getty Images)

"They’re saying on their eyes. They didn’t see it on camera," Spieth said of the TV crew that supposedly watched McIlroy’s shot. "They’re saying what they saw, which is like, it doesn’t mean anything. It's what you guys think."

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The debate took about 12 minutes before things were finally sorted out. McIlroy ended up settling for a double bogey. McIlroy had already taken a drop on the 18th hole after hitting the ball into the water there.

McIlroy was among the leaders as he finished his round. He was 7-under with 10 birdies, a bogey on 18 and a double bogey on the controversial seventh hole.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland reacts and speaks to Jordan Spieth about where his tee shot crossed into the water on the 18th hole during the first round of The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass March 14, 2024, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour via Getty Images)

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Spieth finished the round 2-over with four birdies and six bogeys, including one on the seventh. Hovland finished 1-over with three birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. He made par on the seventh.

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