Rory McIlroy has sparked controversy after snatching a heckling fan's phone at Sawgrass before the Players Championship. The world No 2 was taunted by a spectator who referenced his infamous 2011 Masters collapse.

Rory McIlroy has been known to take some sharp U-turns on his opinions over the last few years, particularly as it relates to the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. He was willing to state another position Wednesday as strong as any. He is not playing the PGA Tour Champions when he turns 50. “Absolutely not,” McIlroy said with a smile.

Cars drive themselves, computers outsmart college grads and golfers watch more golf on YouTube than CBS. It’s a brave, scary new world out there. The revolution isn’t televised, it’s steaming, leaving anyone over age 35 fumbling with the remote (those are still a thing right?

Scheffler and McIlory have both won the tournament in the past. McIlroy won The Players back in 2019, while Scheffler has won the last tournaments, with Schauffele finishing tied for second in 2024. Scheffler is the first player ever to win The Players in consecutive years, and is a favorite to win it for a third straight year.

McIlroy, who added that he still has plenty of things he hopes to accomplish in his golf career, has myriad interests outside of golf including as the co-founder of TGL and a growing business portfolio,

Rory McIlroy has no interest in playing on the Champions tour down the road: "Something has went terribly wrong if I have to compete at golf at 50."

If context is king, Rory McIlroy’s press conference early Wednesday at The Players Championship certainly needs its share of qualifiers. On the eve of the circuit’s flagship event, the Northern Irishman was asked about a potential career on the PGA Tour Champions and the headlines were immediately predictable: “McIlroy on senior tour: Absolutely not.

Credit Rory McIlroy, then, for spinning the conversation forward. McIlroy has taken plenty of shots at LIV Golf over the last three years, some of which he's had to walk back. But one element of LIV's strategy has struck a chord with McIlroy: the breakaway league's international focus.