The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass kicked off with a bang on Thursday, as Collin Morikawa and Chad Ramey set the pace at six under par, while Rory McIlroy struggled to a four-over-par opening round.
McIlroy, who was looking to return to the world number one spot, had a dismal start, beginning with a double bogey and continuing with bogeys on the 15th, first, and third. The Northern Irishman had some chances to make up ground, with an eagle chance from under the trees wide of the 16th fairway, but he three-putted and squandered the opportunity.
The day’s drama was provided by American Hayden Buckley, who landed a hole in one on the famous 17th island hole, and followed up with successive birdies on the 18th and first to briefly move to five under par. He eventually finished with a one-over 73 after double bogeys on the sixth and eighth.
Australian Min Woo Lee was also among the front-runners after six birdies in his opening 13 holes, but he finished on four under after closing with back-to-back bogeys. That put him behind Canadian Taylor Pendrith, who was five under after 17, courtesy of an eagle on the par-five 16th.
England’s Danny Willett, who was hoping to make the cut in the tournament for the first time in six attempts, recovered to post a level-par 72 after dropping a shot on his first hole.
Scottie Scheffler and Jon Rahm, who have both held the top spot in the world rankings this year, were at a steady two under par with six holes to play.
The Players Championship looks to be an exciting event this year, as the world’s best battle it out for the title. With the leaderboard already stacked with talent, the race for the top spot is sure to be an interesting one.
