McIlroy knows this, which is why he did his best to avoid commenting on the debacle when asked about it Thursday afternoon at Sawgrass. Even for a player with a vulnerable history with the press, fanning the flames of an embarrassing-all-the-way-around story was an obvious no-go.

Rory McIlroy snatched a heckling fan’s phone away and walked off with it after reacting to jeers before this week’s Players Championship.