Taylor trails by one after first round at Players

Nick Taylor birdied four or his first seven holes at The Players Championship, part of a bogey-free 6-under 66 that left him one shot off the first-round lead in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele set the pace in the morning with 65s, and Wyndham Clark matched them in the afternoon. But Taylor stayed close on a TPC Sawgrass course that has never been kind to him. His best finish was a tie for 16th in 2019.

Taylor, who started on the back nine, made birdies on the 11th, 12th, 14th and 16th holes to go out in 32. He added birdies on the second and sixth holes and ended up tied for fourth with Matt Fitzpatrick.

“It was kind of the round you’re hoping for when you tee off in the morning here and there’s soft conditions,” Taylor said. “The course is probably as gettable as it will be. Yeah, it was nice to get off to a great start and kind of sustain that. No bogeys is what I’m most proud of. It’s a tough golf course to do that, so that was nice.”

Taylor is looking for his third PGA Tour win in less than a year, and his fifth overall. He won the RBC Canadian Open in dramatic fashion last summer, holing a 72-foot putt on the fourth playoff hole, and he won another playoff last month at the WM Phoenix Open.

Much of Taylor’s recent success has come after changing to a claw putting grip.

“I made a lot of solid putts, nothing crazy long, but made a lot of good putts inside 10, 12 feet,” Taylor said. “My iron game was very solid. Gave myself a lot of chances on that first nine. I played the par-5s great. I birdied three of the four. I think I was in around the greens on three of the four that made pretty easy birdies. That’s pretty key out here, so try and take advantage of those holes.”

McIlroy’s round of 7-under 65 was much more eventful. It featured 10 birdies, a bogey, a double-bogey, two balls in the water and a minor controversy on the seventh hole. After his tee ball found a hazard, McIlroy, the 2019 Players champion, had a long conversation with playing partners Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth about where to drop. Spieth and Hovland questioned the location McIlroy originally selected, resulting in a spirited discussion among the trio.

“I think Jordan (Spieth) was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing,” McIlroy said. “I mean, I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence.”

Two other Canadians were under par, with Corey Conners tied for the 13th after a 4-under 68 and Mackenzie Hughes tied for 37th after a 2-under 70.