Rory McIlroy’s quest to defend his Players Championship crown began with a slow and frustrating start on Thursday, leaving the Northern Irish star chasing the leaders after the opening round at TPC Sawgrass.
McIlroy carded a two-over-par 74, placing him seven strokes behind the early leaders in what proved to be a challenging opening day at the iconic Florida venue. The defending champion managed just a single birdie during his round, struggling to find rhythm on a course that rarely forgives mistakes.
The four-time major winner arrived at Sawgrass later than planned due to a back issue and entered the tournament without the benefit of a practice round a factor that appeared to show in his early performance. Despite the difficult start, McIlroy remained optimistic about his chances heading into the second round.
“I don’t feel like I’m that far away,” he said after completing his round. “No one really went extremely low this afternoon. If I can go out and put together a good score tomorrow, I feel like I can get myself right back into it for the weekend.”
While McIlroy battled to stay in touch, several players surged ahead on the leaderboard. Ryder Cup teammate Sepp Straka produced one of the cleanest rounds of the day, firing a bogey-free 67 highlighted by five birdies to grab a share of the lead.
Lee Hodges also reached five-under-par after an impressive stretch of four birdies in six holes, while Sahith Theegala joined the clubhouse leaders thanks to a fast start that included three birdies early in his round.
American Austin Smotherman looked poised to take the outright lead before play was halted due to darkness. Sitting at five under with one hole remaining, he will return on Friday morning with a 15-foot birdie putt that could move him alone to the top.
Elsewhere, Justin Thomas surged late with three birdies in his final five holes to sit just one shot behind the leaders. A tightly packed chasing group that includes Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg and Xander Schauffele sits two shots back, setting up an intriguing second round.
World number one Scottie Scheffler opened with a level-par 72 as he aims to capture his third Players Championship title in four years. With plenty of golf still to be played, the leaderboard remains wide open heading into Friday’s action.
