PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Rory McIlroy will be trying this week at TPB Sawgrass to win the Players Championship for the second time in his career, just as he tried to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational for the second time last week, before he finished runner-up. 

McIlroy, too, has become the face of the PGA Tour as unofficial spokesperson for the tour’s players, and it’s become quite a lot to juggle. 

He has been one of the most outspoken against the controversial, Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour.

He also has been candid about PGA Tour policy as one of the leaders of the tour’s player advisory council (PAC), which recently approved some drastic changes to the schedule. 

On Tuesday, McIlroy lashed out at fellow PGA Tour player James Hahn, who was critical of the changes to the tour.

Hahn said he is concerned that the revamped format will hurt the middle-class players while making the top players richer. 

McIlroy’s biggest beef stemmed from the fact that Hahn, who ranted to Golfweek a couple of days ago about his problem with the new schedule, did not attend the PGA Tour player meeting at TPC Sawgrass on Tuesday morning. 

“You say all this s–t and you’re not even in the meeting?” McIlroy said in an interview with Golf.com. “The fact that he wasn’t even in the room was a slap in the face to everyone there.’’ 

The 41-year-old Hahn, a two-time winner on tour, denounced the new schedule’s features that include reduced-field events with no cuts that cater to the tour’s elite. 

“All the big names that are talking about this ‘new product,’ if you just came out and said, ‘Hey, we’re doing this for the money,’ they want more guaranteed money and this is another way to funnel more money to the top players in the world, I’d have a lot more respect for them,” Hahn told Golfweek.

“Right now, they’re just covering their ass and saying everything that the PGA Tour basically has trained them to say, have taught them to say and try to make it not about money when everyone knows 100 percent it’s about more guaranteed money being funneled to the top players in the world. 

“We’ve been talking about money for the last two years and for them not to say that that’s not the No. 1 reason why they’re making these changes … it’s very, very hypocritical.” 

McIlroy got full public support from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who showered him with praise for his work with the PAC. 

“When you look back over the last 12 to 18 months, Rory sat in a board meeting for seven hours last Tuesday night and finished one shot off the lead last week,’’ Monahan said Tuesday. “It’s extraordinary. He was in the room this morning for an hour and a half.

“His leadership has manifested itself in a way where he has a very good grasp on and balance on the full picture and on the entire membership.’’ 

Well, maybe not the entire membership. 

As for the juggling act between player and PGA Tour spokesperson, McIlroy conceded on Tuesday that it’s been taxing. 

“I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job of trying to balance both of those things,’’ he said. “I feel like over the past 12 months I’ve played pretty well, but at the same time, I’ve had all of this other stuff to deal with. When I went on the board of the PGA Tour, I didn’t imagine it would take up this much time. 

“But I think it’s been important work, and I’m proud of the steps that we and the PGA Tour have made to try to make everything better for the membership and try to stem the flow of players that have went to LIV. 

“Hopefully with these new changes that have been announced, the majority of my time will be spent on concentrating on getting ready for golf tournaments and trying to be the best player that I can be.’’