If you watched how Rory McIlroy birdied the 18th hole on Thursday at The Players, you will likely remember his closing three for quite some time. After missing the short grass again off the tee, McIlroy’s ball settled down in the pine straw to the right of the fairway.

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.

Rory McIlroy is fighting atop the leaderboard amid the second round of the 2025 Players Championship on Friday, yet most of the public attention on him is more concerned with what happened during a practice round at TPC Sawgrass earlier this week.