“They are 100 percent certain that it landed below the line,” claimed Jordan Spieth as Rory McIlroy dropped the ball on the rough above the line to take just a one-shot penalty. But even so, after consulting with the rules officials, it was deemed that the Northern Irishman dropped it from the correct spot, leading him to card a double bogey six on the same.

Consequently, the 34-year-old went ahead to place himself at the top of the leaderboard, all the while scoring a 7-under 65. Meanwhile, one can’t help but wonder if the relationship between the two professionals has taken a turn for the worse, especially after their recent kerfuffle over the LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger.

Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy’s relationship, a sinking boat?

Wayne ‘Radar’ Riley, Sky Sports’ on-course commentator, who was following the group, conveyed how the 24-time PGA Tour winner had dropped the ball correctly. “I was waiting for the guys in the box to say where it had crossed because I saw where it bounced,” said Riley as he added, “McIlroy has dropped the ball correctly, where we said it was, and then [Viktor] Hovland and Spieth came over to ask questions.”

What’s more, the 2017 Open Championship winner then went ahead and called out ‘Radar’ for his call on the 18th as well. Responding to the golfer’s comments, the commentator later expressed his disbelief at the same time. Moreover, he said, “Spieth played badly today, and I understand he has to take it out on someone, so Uncle Radar was the guy!” Additionally, he recounted the whole ordeal while painting a picture of a flimsy relationship between the two athletes: “He was just in one of those moods today. I don’t know what’s going on with McIlroy and Spieth, because it looked a little frosty to me with those incidents. It was strange.”

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But when the 4-time major champ’s caddie, Harry Diamond, asked the American Pro about his statement, Spieth pointed at the TV people and added, “They are saying what they saw,” before continuing to provide a reason for his argument against the drop: “I don’t mean to be a hypocrite; the media people are just saying that they were certain, so that is why I was saying.” Meanwhile, McIlroy himself was very satisfied with the whole situation. “I think so, yeah. I’m comfortable. I think that’s the most important thing,” revealed the golfer when asked about whether everybody was comfortable.

While the Aussie’s comments and experience indicate a problematic bond between the two athletes, the 30-year-old’s reasoning along with the 2011 U.S. Open champ’s response does paint a different picture. But even so, one can’t help but lean towards their relationship being a sinking ship, especially after the two golfers’ comments following the SSG deal.

The Spieth-McIlroy merger tussle

After the PGA Tour entered into a deal with the Fenway Sports’ led group, the 3-time major champ went ahead to point out how there isn’t a need for the alliance with the Public Investment Fund. “I think the short answer is we don’t have to, and the long answer is, the positive there is unification,” said the golfer before adding, “but I’m not sure if or how or when it would get done,” while alluding to the merger.

However, the Northern Irishman, who was once dubbed a ‘PGA Tour loyalist’, disagreed with Spieth’s opinions. The golfer divulged how the two had a frank discussion with each other as he confessed, “If I were PIF and I was hearing that coming from here, the day after doing this SSG deal, it wouldn’t have made me too happy, I guess?” as he pointed out how such open criticism can lead to an unwanted situation. Additionally, he also brought up why the circuit needed PIF, saying, “They are still sitting out there with hundreds of billions of dollars, if not trillions, that they’re gonna pour it into the sport.”

The two incidents occurring one after another certainly point to a possible souring relationship between the two PGA Tour pros. However, the truth of the matter is only known to them as of now. All speculation aside, we can only wait and see if the two are in fact in a tiff or if it is just the coincidence of the situations that have painted them out to be so. Tune in to find out!

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