Few have the experience of playing the Stadium Course as McIlroy and certainly not three of the players directly ahead of him on the leaderboard.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Rory McIlroy was interested only in his good start to The Players Championship on Thursday than discussing a heckling incident in which he took the phone of a University of Texas player who had heckled him during a practice round.

Trailing by seven strokes heading into the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy regretted a club switch and sent for his older set.

Rory McIlroy’s week at TPC Sawgrass took an unexpected turn Tuesday. When practicing for Thursday’s opening round of The Players Championship, a college golfer heckled the four-time major winner from behind the 18th tee box at the Ponte Vedra Beach,

Rory McIlroy continues to sit on the front page of the leaderboard, but TPC Sawgrass still finds ways to put its claws into him at The PLAYERS Championship.

While many are in agreement that the heckler — who later issued a public apology — was in the wrong for his part in the dispute, there is a sense that McIlroy should have handled things better.

The University of Texas golfer was allegedly seen having his phone taken by McIlroy as he walked off the tee box

Rory McIlroy refused to comment on the phone he grabbed from a spectator's hand during Wednesday's practice round.