McIlroy, Schauffele, Clark share Round 1 lead at The Players
Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Wyndham Clark each fired a 65 on Thursday to share the first-round lead by one stroke at The Players Championship.
Play was suspended due to darkness with nine players yet to finish. Play will resume at 8:50 a.m. ET on Friday, and the second round will be played as scheduled at 7:40 a.m.
McIlroy made 10 birdies on the day but also endured his fair share of water trouble at TPC Sawgrass. The world's second-ranked player rinsed his tee shot on No. 18 en route to a bogey, then found the drink again on No. 7, causing drama with playing partners Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland about where he was eligible to drop.
After a lengthy debate, the group determined McIlroy was clear to drop rather than re-tee, and he ultimately made a double-bogey on the hole.
Schauffele posted a bogey-free day, highlighted by five birdies in a six-hole stretch in the middle of his round.
Clark registered three consecutive birdies on holes 15-17 to grab a piece of the lead.
Soft conditions enabled plenty of birdies in the opening round of the Florida swing's marquee event, and many of the TOUR's best players took full advantage.
Position | Player | Score |
---|---|---|
T-1 | Rory McIlroy | -7 |
T-1 | Xander Schauffele | -7 |
T-1 | Wyndham Clark | -7 |
T-4 | Nick Taylor | -6 |
T-4 | Matt Fitzpatrick | -6 |
T-6 | Tom Hoge | -5 |
T-6 | Jason Day | -5 |
T-6 | Ludvig Aberg | -5 |
T-6 | Scottie Scheffler | -5 |
T-6 | Tyler Duncan | -5 |
T-6 | Maverick McNealy | -5 |
T-6 | Jimmy Stanger* | -5 |
* - Through 16
Max Homa (-4), Corey Conners (-4), Hideki Matsuyama (-3), Tommy Fleetwood (-2) Justin Rose (-2), Adam Scott (-2), and Sungjae Im (-2) are among the notable golfers within five shots of the lead.
HEADLINES
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