Not surprisingly, McIlroy has accepted the failed experiment and will have his oldish driver (with which he won the AT&T Pebble Beach pro-am) back as his power tool of choice off the tee at The Players this week at TPC Sawgrass and further on at next month’s Masters.

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.

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,