Sepp Straka and Sahith Theegala are a part of a five-way tie for the early lead at The Gamers, as Rory McIlroy made a sluggish begin to his title defence at TPC Sawgrass.
Maverick McNealy set the preliminary clubhouse goal after an opening-round 67 on the PGA Tour’s flagship occasion, the place play was halted for 20 minutes mid-round as a result of harmful climate.
Straka posted 5 birdies in his bogey-free begin and Lee Hodges made 4 birdies in a six-hole stretch to additionally get to 5 below, with Theegala making it a four-way tie for the clubhouse lead having made a three-birdie begin to his spherical.
Austin Smotherman additionally reached 5 below with one gap remaining when play was suspended at 7.37pm native time (11.37pm UK) as a result of darkness, with the American going through a 15-foot birdie putt for the outright lead when he returns on Friday morning.
Former Gamers champion Justin Thomas birdied three of his final 5 holes to get inside one of many lead, with Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, Ludvig Åberg and Xander Schauffele all within the logjam two off the tempo.
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A recap of Tommy Fleetwood’s spherical as he posted a three-under par 69 at TPC Sawgrass on the opening day
World No 1 Scottie Scheffler carded a level-par 72 as he seems to win the occasion for a 3rd time in 4 years, as McIlroy – who solely arrived on Wednesday afternoon as a result of a again problem and entered and not using a apply spherical – registered only one birdie in a two-over 74.
“I don’t feel like I’m that far away,” McIlroy stated. “No one went really low this afternoon, which I expected them to, just because the conditions were pretty benign. If I can go out and shoot a good one tomorrow, I feel like I’ll be right in it for the weekend.”
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Watch the story of Rory McIlroy’s opening spherical at The Gamers, as he posted a two-over 74 at TPC Sawgrass
McIlroy struggles after making late resolution to play
The defending champion stated he was going to make a ‘game-time resolution’ on whether or not to tee it up, having acquired every day remedy within the days main as much as the occasion and never hitting any membership longer than a six-iron from his early exit at Bay Hill over the weekend till his warm-up on Thursday.
McIlroy opened with three-straight pars earlier than following back-to-back bogeys from the fourth with with a surprising method from a fairway bunker into the par-four sixth, establishing a close-range birdie on his option to a front-nine 37.
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Rory McIlroy hit an unbelievable bunker shot from 160 yards to arrange a birdie on the par-four sixth gap
He bogeyed the par-five eleventh after discovering timber off the tee after which pitching out into thick tough, with McIlroy overcoming waywardness off the tee on the twelfth to avoid wasting par and keep away from falling additional behind.
McIlroy produced a formidable up and down on the par-four fifteenth to stop one other bogey, having discovered a tricky lie within the fairway bunker, then pulled his method to the sixteenth, made a two-putt par on the seventeenth and scrambled a par up the final.
“I would say the most discomfort was when the ball was below my feet or with chipping, getting down a little bit to it,” McIlroy stated. “Honestly, overall it was fine. Got a little bit tired at the end of the day, but yeah, it was actually all pretty good.”
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Rory McIlroy paid the value for lacking fairways at TPC Sawgrass as he made back-to-back bogeys throughout the first spherical
Bunched leaderboard after opening day
McNealy blended six birdies with a lone bogey and was the choose of the morning starters, the place scoring was a shot worse than the afternoon wave, whereas Straka grabbed his share of the lead after chipping in from off the par-five sixteenth inexperienced.
Straka acquired up and down from the green to avoid wasting par on the final and stay at 5 below, as Hodges birdied the identical gap to share high spot, whereas Theegala’s spherical was boosted with a hole-out eagle on the par-four twelfth.
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Sahith Theegala holed out from 99 yards for an eagle on the par-four twelfth gap at TPC Sawgrass to maneuver inside one of many lead at The Gamers
Smotherman was one in all 4 gamers who will return at 8.50am native time (12.50pm UK) to finish their opening spherical, having initially thought of stopping earlier, previous to his third shot into the ultimate gap.
“Do I wish I hit the chip in the morning as well? Went back and forth,” Smotherman stated. “The fact I was even questioning it, I probably should have maybe backed off. I just hit it a little heavy and luckily it tumbled.”
Thomas is joined on 4 below by compatriots Cam Younger, Russell Henley and Taylor Moore, whereas Tony Finau is inside two of the lead regardless of carding 5 bogeys in his opening-round 69.
A congested leaderboard sees 29 gamers inside 4 strokes of the lead, with Scheffler – switching again to his previous driver after trialling a distinct mannequin final week – needing a final-hole birdie to keep away from an over-par begin.
Who will win The Gamers? Watch all through the week reside on Sky Sports activities. Reside protection continues Friday from 11.30am on Sky Sports activities Golf. Get Sky Sports activities or stream with no contract.
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