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.

The Players Championship has begun, but the talk at TPC Sawgrass is a viral confrontation between four-time major champion Rory McIlroy and a spectator. While the triggering incident remains off-camera,