World No. 1 Dustin Johnson among those at the top.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH — 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 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 favor 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 that brought out thousands of sun-soaked fans.
“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.”
Or maybe they were just bored.
All the action was all around them.
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 when there was only a mild breeze, still enough to make even the best look foolish.
Johnson played like he was determined to keep that No. 1 ranking, which he could lose if he finishes 12th or worse. And he putted like he was fed up with not seeing enough go in. He tried the “AimPoint” method that some players use to help them read the greens. He liked the results.
Johnson started on No. 10 and went out in 31, and when he rolled in a 10-foot birdie putt on the par-5 second hole, he was on his way. Johnson only gave himself a for a 67. That was enough to remind him he can still challenge the best.
“I’m not su r prised,” Stricker said. “I expect to play well.”
So did Woods, even after his putting woes last week at Quail Hollow. Back on putting surfaces he knows, Woods made a number of key putts. Except for an 18-footer just off the green at No. 9 for few reasonable chances the eagle, however, most of them rest of the way, though he were for par. There was also was more than happy with a 10-footer to escape with his 66. It was his best score bogey on the 18th hole after ever on the Stadium Course, he put his iron off the tee and only his fourth time in into the water. Woods hit the 60s. only five fairways.
“I was just not making Mickelson said he ran out enough putts,” Johnson of energy, which he feared said. “It’s definitely helped. coming into the week. He Because I’m a feel putter, any- was hanging around until way, and so the way you’re chopping up the 14th hole doing it really is you’re just for a double bogey, and then feeling. So it definitely works. adding a pair of doubles on I was pretty good the first time the 16th and 17th with balls I switched. I had done it a lit- in the water. tle bit, like messing around The featured group in the with it. I’m very pleased with morning — Rory McIlroy, Jorthe way I putted today.” dan Spieth and Justin Thomas
Rookies and veterans alike — wasn’t much better. McIlroy were in the group at 67. The was the only one to break par rookie was Keith Mitchell, at 71. Thomas had a 73 and who didn’t even know he was Spieth appeared headed for in the field until Paul Casey a fourth consecutive weekwithdrew on Wednesday. end off at The Players when Mitchell birdied his opening he shot 75, which included four holes, made seven birdan eagle when he drove the ies over his first 11 holes and green on the par-4 12th. was slowed only by a dou“It could have been betble-bogey on the par-3 third. ter. I could have been prob
The veteran was 51-year-old ably a little worse, as well. Steve Stricker, who still can’t It was probably a fair reflecdecide whether to hang his tion of how I played,” McIlroy hat in the big leagues or the said. “It looked like it played senior circuit. He was irritated easy out there, but our group by a late bogey and failing to didn’t feel like that with what birdie the par-5 ninth, settling we shot.”
commenting on his 71
‘It looked like it played easy out there, but our group didn’t feel like that with what we shot.’