2018 Players Championship makes intriguing start
The 2018 Players Championship kicked off on Thursday, with some of the top players in the world of golf descending on Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida for what is often described as the “fifth major.”
The Players is one of the most prestigious and lucrative tournaments in the world, drawing the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy (pictured above), Jason Day, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson.
Playing before packed galleries, six players occupy the top spot after the first round that saw Si Woo Kim, Sergio Garcia, Matt Kuchar and Patrick Cantlay all get to -7 at one point before dropping back. Kuchar and Cantlay share the lead with Johnson, Webb Simpson, Alex Noren and Chesson Hadley at -6.
Tiger Woods (pictured above) was left to rue a bogey on the last hole of the day as he shot an even par round while playing partners Phil Mickelson and Ricky Fowler had poor days being +7 and +2 respectively. McIlroy finished -1 and playing partners Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas were +3 and +1.
After the round Dustin Johnson said “Today was a pretty good day for scoring. The greens were receptive, they were rolling perfect… I’m going to have to play really well if I want to keep the No. 1 spot. With the game where it is right now, there’s a lot of really good players right at the top of the world rankings. For me to stay up there I’m going to have to keep playing really well.”
Tiger Woods also commented “The way I was feeling today, I should have shot something in the 60s… Pete [Dye] does a great job of making you feel uncomfortable… It’s not a very long golf course… Overall it doesn’t really play that long especially under this heat. The ball is flying. And you look at us, no one is really tearing this place apart. But we’re all bunched together, and that’s what this golf course allows you to do.”
Play begins at 7.10am Friday 11th May 2018.
