Rory McIlroy makes fast start at Players Championship after heckler apologises

Rory McIlroy is a shot back on five under after the first round of the Players Championship

Rory McIlroy made a strong start at TPC Sawgrass (Getty Images)

Rory McIlroy finished day one of the Players Championship one shot off the lead as he batted away questions about an awkward exchange with a heckler.

Lucas Glover, JJ Spaun and Camilo Villegas shared the lead heading into the second day at TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy enjoyed a strong outing to open his tournament, splitting seven birdies – including four in a row at the turn – with two bogeys.

Afterwards he was interested in talking only about the golf, having clashed with American golfer Luke Potter during a practice round.

Potter won the Hayt Collegiate Tournament on Monday at Sawgrass Country Club, across the road from the TPC Sawgrass. According to Golf.com, Potter and some teammates were watching a practice round the next day when McIlroy pulled his tee shot on 18 into the water, and Potter took a dig by reminding him of a hooked drive McIlroy hit in the 2011 Masters during his final-round meltdown.

In a video circulated on social media, McIlroy walked over and said, “Can I see your phone?” He took the phone and walked away. Golf.com reported Potter was removed from the course, though he got his phone back.

McIlroy was asked after his round of 67 if he could be asked about the incident.

“No, you can’t,” McIlroy said.

Why?

“Because I don't want you to,” McIlroy said with a laugh. After another query on whether McIlroy knew it was a college golfer, McIlroy said: “I’m really happy that I shot 67 today.”

The PGA Tour’s fan code of conduct said spectators can be expelled for behavior that includes “rude, vulgar or other inappropriate comments or gestures.”

Potter, ranked 60th amateur in the world, later apologised.

“Look, I just made a mistake, and I take ownership for it,” he said. “I apologise for it. That’s about all that needs to be said ... It’s just a good learning experience.”

Texas coach John Fields said Potter, who began his career at Arizona State before transferring, has written letters of apology to McIlroy, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, the director of PGA Tour University and the coach at North Florida, the host school of the tournament.

Earlier Glover produced a blistering finish to set the early clubhouse target, birdieing the last four holes to card a six-under-par 66.

The American, whose closing salvo included a birdie from 18 feet on the famous par-three 17th, said: “On 15 I had a great number (to the pin), so that was a green light.

“Sixteen, if you hit it in the fairway you feel like you should make a four and I drew a good lie in the rough left of the green. On 17 I happened to know a putt from years past hitting it there and over-reading it.

“Then 18, wind switched, I had help all of a sudden. It was an eight-iron number and ended up hitting nine. Then gravity kind of took over for me and pulled it down there to the left, which it does to that hole location if you just get the right number.

“That’s the thing about this place is there’s always some really good scores and always some really bad scores. 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.”

By the time play was suspended due to darkness, Glover’s score was matched by Spaun and Villegas, with the trio narrowly ahead of six players on five under, including McIlroy.

England’s Aaron Rai and Laurie Canter are both a shot further back on four under, with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre carding a three under 69.

Additional reporting by agencies