Standing behind the 18th tee box with a teammate, Potter watched as McIlroy rinsed his tee shot, and then, as first reported by Golf.com and confirmed by GolfChannel.com, Potter heckled McIlroy with a reference to the 2011 Masters.

It’s not so much that it happened but that it keeps happening, and that golf desperately needs to stop it from happening again. The Players Championship has begun, but the talk at TPC Sawgrass is a viral confrontation between four-time major champion Rory McIlroy and a spectator.

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.

Rory McIlroy said "absolutely not" when asked whether he would ever play on the PGA Tour Champions. The legends didn't like that.

Rory McIlroy remains in the prime of his career. Nevertheless, despite being far from the end, the four-time major winner insists he has no intention of becoming someone pursuing past glory that has already slipped beyond reach.

After Rory McIlroy returned to the tee box for his second shot, he walked straight to the fan, with the club still in his hand and asked for his phone.

"It sucks. He doesn't have much luck when it comes to injuries and his body," Rory McIlroy said when asked about Tiger Woods rupturing his Achilles.

Rory McIlroy yoinked a phone from a fan in the crowd during his practice round of golf today. But it was hardly an act of malice. Video of his practice ahead of this weekend's Players Championship shows McIlroy walking over to a fan and snatching the phone out of their hands.

Rory McIlroy appeared to take matters into his own hands after being heckled by a fan during a practice round at the Players Championship. McIlroy is currently at TPC Sawgrass as he prepares for the PGA Tour’s flagship event,

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.