McIlroy knows this, which is why he did his best to avoid commenting on the debacle when asked about it Thursday afternoon at Sawgrass. Even for a player with a vulnerable history with the press, fanning the flames of an embarrassing-all-the-way-around story was an obvious no-go.

A University of Texas men’s golfer was reportedly escorted out of TPC Sawgrass following an incident with Rory McIlroy during Tuesday’s practice round for The Players.