The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Simpson (63) ties course record
He opens up a 5-shot lead, largest in the 45 years of this event.
Webb
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLA. — Simpson didn’t miss anything except the island green.
On the verge of shattering the course record Friday at the TPC Sawgrass — even a 59 was in play — Simpson hit a sand wedge into the water on the notorious par-3 17th and made a double-bogey that ruined his round, but not his day at The Players Championship. He still tied the record with a 9-under 63, and he had a five-shot lead, the largest in the 45 years of this tournament.
“It wasn’t a mistake,” Simpson said. “Just the wrong club.”
He was in no mood to let that sour his mood. Simpson simply couldn’t miss, whether it was a 35-foot eagle putt on his second hole or a 30-foot birdie putt up the slope and into the cup on the 15th. At that point, all he could do was laugh.
And then he reached the 17th, playing 147 yards to a back pin, the light wind playing tricks with him. He kept backing off, trying to decide between sand wedge and pitching wedge. He said a few fans were telling him to hit it.
The ball hit the wooden frame
on the front of the green, caromed high in the air and landed on the back of the green with so much momentum that it rolled through the light collar of rough and disappeared into the water.
“Everything is going in,” he said. “You feel like no matter what, you’re going to make it, and I grew up on an easy golf course so it reminded me of being back home, shoot- ing low numbers. But at the same time, you’re at the TPC Sawgrass, so you know that trouble is everywhere, as you guys saw with me on 17.”
And it will be there over the next two rounds.
Simpson was the seventh player to shoot 63 on the Stadium Course — five since 2013 — and his 15-under 129 tied the 36-hole record set two years ago by Jason Day.
Charl Schwartzel (66), Patrick Cantlay (68) and Danny Lee (66) were five shots behind.
Tiger Woods at least gets to return on the weekend. He made the cut on the number (1-under 143) after a 71 in the easier morning conditions. Woods was outside the cut line until Jordan Spi- eth and Justin Thomas each made bogey on the 18th. Spi- eth three-putted from 35 feet, though he shot 68 and ended three straight years missing the cut. Rory McIlroy wasn’t so fortunate. He was inside the cut line until hitting into the water on the 17th and making double-bogey.
Conditions were ideal for scoring for the second straight day. Simpson took that to another level.
He ended the front nine with a 15-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth for a one-shot lead, and then he took off. Starting with an up-and-down at the par-5 11th, Simpson ran off six straight birdies — three straight from the 20-foot range, the most unlikely being the one from behind the 15th green, and another up-anddown from left of the green on the par-5 16th.
Spieth was 5-under on his round through 11 holes and wondered if he had the low round of the day. And then he saw a leaderboard.
“It was just amazing,” said Spieth, who played with McIl- roy and Thomas. “We were talking about it throughout the round, all three of us. We were like, ‘Man, I hope he shoots 59.’ And at the same time, we’re saying if he shoots 59, can you imag- ine how hard the setup is going to be tomorrow?”
The real challenge will be catching Simpson.
“If you’re off a little bit, you make bogeys or double bogeys as easy as you can make birdies,” Simpson said. “I don’t think any lead is safe. ... There’s no defensiveness in my game tomorrow.”
Woods had wedges in his hand on his opening three holes and never got it close for birdie, and it was like that all day. He was in the feature pairing with Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, and Woods was the only one to make the cut.