Heavy driving on the first day of the THE PLAYERS Championship. The favourable playing conditions were taken advantage of to score low. No fewer than thirty golfers are separated by just three strokes after the first 18 holes. More receptive greens than perhaps expected were enough for just under half the field to beat the course. Don’t worry, it won’t last beyond today. Don’t expect anything even remotely similar for the next three days. The lowest stroke average has already been seen at TPC Sawgrass.
J.J. Spaun (-6) and Camilo Villegas (-6) have joined Lucas Glover at the top of the tournament leaderboard after the first round. Spaun is once again making an appearance at the top in a major event. It’s something that happens from time to time. Don’t expect regularity and consistency from him, but he will fight against anyone when the course plays to his liking.
There is a lot of parity at the top. The stellar match between the stars did not disappoint. The combined score of Rory McIlroy (-5), Scottie Scheffler (-3), and Xander Schauffele (PAR) was eight under par. And that’s because Schauffele finished the last hole with a painful double bogey, after two consecutive birdies and a series of errors on the 18th.
On a very fierce TPC Sawgrass, Rory couldn’t have shot the 67 he presented today upon reaching the clubhouse. He simply wasn’t sharp off the tee, something that generally costs dearly on this course. However, the Holywood native, with a dazzling day with the irons, one of those inspired McIlroy days where he manages to leave it close from almost any position, achieved a great result.
The key was to miss well and have a bit of luck, a combination that began to take shape in the morning. “Just upon waking up, I remembered that in 2019 I did very well hitting a cut shot from the tee. It might not be the best, but on this course, you’re rarely in big trouble if you miss right off the tee. That’s the plan I executed today, and it worked well. I also had some luck with a few shots,” he says.
Regarding luck, he refers to the 5-iron he hit on the 18th from the right pine straw. His aim was to leave it at the front of the green, but the ball came out perfectly, leaving him a very good birdie chance that he didn’t waste on a great putting day. It’s the second time in history that someone has shot 67 at TPC Sawgrass with only four fairways hit.
Precisely, the performance on the greens is what has separated Scheffler from McIlroy. The American has been much better than the European off the tee and hit good irons, leaving himself opportunities, but he wasn’t as lethal as he would have liked on the greens.
The round couldn’t be completed due to lack of light, and it remains to be seen what Max Greevy (-5) can do in the two holes he has left, as he could even be the leader of the THE PLAYERS if he makes two under on the 17th and 18th, a rather unlikely matter. By the way, a great start for Laurie Canter (-4) in the first round of his life with a PGA Tour card, while Karl Vilips (PAR) experienced firsthand how cruel Sawgrass can be. He managed to get to four under par, eyeing the lead, but a very messy finish for the Australian, with a double bogey on the 6th after sending the ball into the water from that new tee marked by the tree that prevents hitting a very high ball, and two bogeys on the 8th and 9th, turned a tremendous start into a mess tomorrow to make the cut. Sawgrass in its purest form.
