Watch: Rory McIlroy in rules argument with Jordan Spieth at The Players Championship

Rory McIlroy insists he has a “clear conscience” after two rules disputes in the first round of the Players Championship at Sawgrass resulted in the world No.2 having a heated argument with Jordan Spieth.

The PGA Tour was desperate for action between the ropes at its £20 million flagship event to eclipse the ongoing LIV Golf race, but they could not have imagined that there would be a double penalty shootout and a back-and-forth between the two biggest teams to follow. Superstars would light up social media on opening day.

“I feel like I’m one of the most conscientious golfers out there,” McIlroy said. “If I feel like I’ve done something wrong, it will haunt my conscience for the rest of the tournament. I’m a big believer in karma and if you do something wrong, it will come back and bite you.

“Of course I’m not trying to do anything wrong there, I’m playing by the rules and doing the right thing. I feel like I made those two drops.”

McIlroy shot a 7-under 65 that included 10 birdies to share the early lead with Xander Schauffele, but all that had everyone on the Stadium Course talking were the remarkable scenes that ended with Spieth – normally very cooperative with the press – breaking into an incident. The pair almost sprinted to avoid media questioning after signing their scorecards.

The back-and-forth between the pair began on the 18th (ninth) when McIlroy pulled his car into the water. Spieth questioned where McIlroy would take his penalty shot, possibly suspecting the ball would cross the lake closer to the tee and require a much longer approach from the Northern Irishman.

But this confrontation, which lasted at least five minutes, was minor compared to the incident that occurred eight holes later.

In the seventh, McIlroy once again pulled his drive and watched in disappointment as the ball ended up in another pool. But he was convinced that he was splashing on the shore above the red line indicating where the sidewater danger began. This allowed him to take a penalty shot two stick lengths away from where the ball entered.

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McIlroy met with two playing partners – Ryder Cup teammate Viktor Hovland was the other member of the three-ball – but after speaking to fans on the other side of the fairway, Spieth disputed the idea of ​​the world No.2.

“From what I’ve heard, everyone who has their eyes on it – that’s not the point – says they’re 100 percent sure it fell below the red line,” Spieth said. “That’s what you think.”

The difference between drops was roughly 250 yards (not far from the teebox) and the mood surrounding the decision was becoming uneasy. At this point, McIlroy’s assistant Harry Diamond increased the tension even more. “Who is ‘everyone’, Jordan?” Diamond shouted. “Who are you talking about?”

The referee was called but as there was no definitive TV footage it was left to the players to decide. Sky Sports TV analyst Wayne “Radar” Riley was in the group and believes McIlroy’s fall was spot on. At one stage during the back-and-forth with Spieth, McIlroy asked if he should “split the lead,” which probably meant he would cut the lead back even further — but that’s not the point.

Another media observer, who spoke to Telegraph Sport but did not want to be named, said he “believed 95 per cent had fallen below the line”.

McIlroy, 34, said he questioned himself.

“I think I started doubting myself a little bit,” McIlroy said. “I thought, ‘Okay, did I really see what I thought I saw?’… I was relaxed and just making sure Jordan and Viktor were comfortable, too. “What mattered was whether it was above or below the line, and I thought I saw it go above the line.”

McIlroy was asked if he believed the six-minute speech was “unnecessary.” “I can’t say it’s unnecessary,” he replied. “Jordan was just trying to make sure I was doing the right thing. It’s hard, right, because there was no evidence on TV. I was determined. Rather, I was being conservative about it. I think at the end of the day, we’re all trying to protect ourselves, we’re all trying to protect the court.”

McIlroy and Spieth have been longtime friends, but have recently been in opposing camps over the LIV issue and the potential for a peace deal between the PGA Tour and the breakaway league’s Saudi funders.

Last month, McIlroy said he had a “frank conversation” with Spieth after the American Tour said it no longer needed to make a deal with the Public Investment Fund. This angered McIlroy.

“I don’t think PIF being your partner instead of not being your partner is an option for the game of golf,” McIlroy said. “I talked to him [Spieth] We had a very frank discussion about his comments.