Rory McIlroy took college golfer's phone after heckling moment at the Players Championship

A University of Texas golfer was removed from the grounds astatine TPC Sawgrass during a Players Championship signifier circular connected Tuesday astatine TPC Sawgrass successful a infinitesimal that has since gone viral connected societal media involving PGA Tour prima Rory McIlroy.

Luke Potter, a inferior successful the Longhorns’ play program, went viral aft McIlroy walked implicit to him aft the young golfer seemed to accidental thing to the four-time large champion conscionable aft his thrust went into the h2o connected Hole 18. 

While it’s chartless what Potter said, McIlroy intelligibly didn’t similar it, arsenic helium instantly turned astir and walked implicit to him. McIlroy past asked for Potter’s compartment telephone and took it. 

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Rory McIlroy tees disconnected connected the seventh spread during the archetypal circular of the Players Championship astatine TPC Sawgrass successful Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl., connected Thursday, March 13, 2025. (Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union)

McIlroy started to locomotion with Potter’s phone, seemingly looking for immoderate video helium believed Potter had taken during that moment. 

Golf.com reported that Potter referenced McIlroy’s 2011 Masters, wherever helium infamously had a meltdown during the last circular connected Sunday that year, yet shooting an 80 and losing the tourney to Charl Schwartzel. 

As McIlroy looked done Potter’s phone, the Texas golfer was reportedly escorted disconnected the course. His telephone was aboriginal fixed backmost to him. 

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"Look, I conscionable made a mistake, and I instrumentality ownership for it," Potter said, according to the Golf Channel, astir what had happened with McIlroy. "I apologize for it. That’s astir each that needs to beryllium said. . . . It’s conscionable a bully learning experience. Yeah, I apologize."

Potter was riding precocious successful his collegiate vocation astatine the clip of the incident, having won his archetypal NCAA idiosyncratic tournament, arsenic helium won the John Hayt Collegiate Invitational astatine Sawgrass Country Club. That people is precise adjacent to TPC Sawgrass, wherever the Players is held each year. 

John Fields, Potter’s play manager astatine Texas, besides spoke to Golf.com astir the incident. 

Arizona State golfer Luke Potter looks implicit his putt connected the seventh spread during NCAA Championship lucifer play quarterfinals astatine Grayhawk Golf Club successful Scottsdale, Arizona connected May 30, 2023. (IMAGN)

"He had nary thought that what was coming retired of his rima was going to effect successful this fashion," Fields said. 

"With regards to our University of Texas program, I mean, it’s an embarrassing moment. It is peculiarly delicate to me, due to the fact that our programme is built connected respect for the game, and I would archer you that we manager 18- to 22-year-olds connected a mean basis, and they don’t ever marque the close call, and that’s my work arsenic a coach, and erstwhile they bash marque a mistake, it’s a learning moment."

McIlroy wasn’t fazed by the moment, though, arsenic helium started disconnected the tourney with a 5-under archetypal circular connected Thursday. He is 1 changeable disconnected the leaders, Lucas Glover, J.J. Spaun and Camilo Villegas, who each finished 6-under. 

However, McIlroy wouldn’t respond to 2 antithetic questions astir the incidental aft his round. 

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Fields noted that Potter had sent a written missive of apology to McIlroy, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and others. 

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