PGA: Nearly everyone feels like a leader as The Players Championship opens
Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson delivered plenty of entertainment Thursday at The Players Championship.
The lead belonged to just about everyone else.
Dustin Johnson and Matt Kuchar were among six players who shared the lead at 6-under 66 in ideal scoring conditions, creating the largest logjam ever at the TPC Sawgrass and the most players tied at the top at The Players in 40 years.
“If you’re on your game, this course suits you,” Kuchar said.
That’s been the story of the TPC Sawgrass over the years — a design that doesn’t favour one particular style of play. That notion was on overdrive in warm sunshine and moderate wind, conditions so ideal that 12 players were separated by one shot after the opening round, and 68 players in the 144-man field broke par.
Woods wasn’t among them. He shot 72 in his first time at The Players since in three years. Neither was Mickelson, who had three double bogeys on the back nine and shot 79. Rickie Fowler rounded out the threesome and shot 74. They were the feature group in the afternoon.
“Toward the back nine, it started getting a little sparse,” Woods said. “I think they might have tipped back a couple and got a little sleepy.”
Kuchar, Chesson Hadley and Patrick Cantlay each got to 7 under until late bogeys. Johnson, Alex Noren and Webb Simpson each shot 66 in the morning.
Rookies and veterans alike were in the group at 67. The rookie was Keith Mitchell, who didn’t even know he was in the field until Paul Casey withdrew on Wednesday. Mitchell birdied his opening four holes, made seven birdies over his first 11 holes and was slowed only by a double bogey on the par-3 third.
The veteran was 51-year-old Steve Stricker, who still can’t decide whether to hang his hat in the big leagues or the senior circuit. He was irritated by a late bogey and failing to birdie the par-5 ninth, settling for a 67. That was enough to remind him he can still challenge the best.
“I’m not surprised,” Stricker said. “I expect to play well.”