Collin Morikawa is second and world No. 2 Scottie Scheffler is less than four off the lead, with Rory McIlroy 12 strokes off the pace for an opening 76; Watch the second round live Friday from 11:30 a.m. Sky Sports Golfwith additional streams via the red button
By Ali Stafford at TPC Sawgrass
Last update: 03/10/23 00:03
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Highlights from day one of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Highlights from day one of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Chad Ramey eclipsed the biggest names on the PGA Tour to claim a shock lead after the first round of The Players, where Rory McIlroy suffered a nightmarish start in his bid to return to world No. 1.
Ramey – who had missed the cut in seven of his previous 10 PGA Tour starts – ripped through the form guide as he shot a brilliant bogey-free 64 at TPC Sawgrass, with eight birdies helping the American to an advantage of a knock on two-time big winner Collin Morikawa.
A three-birder finish from late starter Ben Griffin propelled him to a share of third on five under alongside Canada’s Justin Suh and Taylor Pendrith, with Scottie Scheffler on four occasions after outplaying Jon Rahm and McIlroy in their group morning lighthouse.
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Rory McIlroy struggled to get a four-over 76 in the first round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Scheffler birdied on three of his last four holes to score a 68 in the first round and current world No. 1 Rahm sits seven times after a one-under 71, while McIlroy is in danger of missing the cut after double-bogeying his opening hole and adding four bogeys in a frustrating four-over 76.
How Ramey progressed at TPC Sawgrass
Ramey followed three birdies in his first five holes by draining a 30-footer on the par four seventh, helping him reach the 32 turn, then continued his progress by starting his back nine with successive birdies.
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The world No. 225 ended a streak of pars by taking advantage of the 16th par five and took the solo lead when he fired his tee shot on the iconic par three next to the hitting range, before to sign his default-free card with two distance putts on the last.
“Not easy at all,” Ramey said. “I might have made it look like this, but it wasn’t easy at all. It was fun, the first time to score on such an iconic course like this – you don’t can’t ask for more.”
Morikawa held the absolute advantage earlier in the day after mixing up five birdies with a superb eagle at par five seconds, where he fired his approach less than a yard from the flag, while Suh made a late charge for the lead when he posted five birdies in a five-hole stretch from the seventh to join the group tied for third.
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Highlights of Collin Morikawa’s superb 65 (-7) in the first round of the Players Championship.
Limited daylight in Florida meant the last groups were unable to finish before play was suspended due to darkness at 6:28 p.m. local time (11:28 p.m. BST), with Suh among those who will have to return on Friday to finish .
Mixed fortunes for golf stars
Scheffler is joined in the four-under group by Min Woo Lee, who bogeyed his final two holes after suffering cramp late in his round, with Jordan Spieth starting his back nine with three straight birdies en route to a three under 69.
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Hayden Buckley added his name to the roster to hit an ace on the iconic 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass when he landed his tee shot Thursday at The Players Championship.
Xander Schauffele struggled after being four out of eight holes to play to card a level 72, with England trio Danny Willett, Tommy Fleetwood and Tyrrell Hatton also in that eight-paced group, while Hayden Buckley had to settle for an open-round 73 despite a brilliant hole-in-one at the par-three 17th.
McIlroy mixed two birdies with four bogeys and a double bogey on a frustrating opening day, leaving him 12 in the lead, with just nine players posting a total higher than the four-time major champion in the morning wave.
Watch The Players throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues from 11.30am on Friday on Sky Sports Golf, with a host of additional streams available via the red button.