Adam Scott’s near ace at the iconic island green par 3 17th stunned but fellow past champion Jason Day is leading the Australian charge following the first round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
Day shot a two-under par 70, closing with a superb birdie courtesy of a brilliant chip in near darkness at the par 5 ninth, to sit three shots behind leaders Sepp Straka, Sahith Theegala, Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges and Austin Smotherman.
Watch The Players Championships plus all four Golf Majors LIVE with FOX SPORTS on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
For much of the round, the Australian focus was all on Scott, but the veteran eventually signed off on an even par 72 – the same score as countryman Min Woo Lee.
Day, meanwhile, reached the turn even par after finding the water at the notorious island green par 3 17th undid his early birdies at 12 and 15.
But the former world No.1 recovered from that errant tee shot that sailed long and left, and was rock solid for the remainder of his round.
He did not drop another shot and earned shots back with birdies at four and nine to ensure he will start his second round within striking distance of the leading pack.
LEADERBOARD: Live scores from The Players
Scott almost breaks Ace drought | 00:59
Lee was similarly impressive on his second nine.
The 27-year-old got off to a nightmare start with a double bogey at the first and a bogey at the third on his way to a front nine 39.
The West Australian fought back strongly on the back nine, however, making birdies at 11, 13, 16 and 17 before a bogey at the last brought him back to even par.
Lee struck a cracking tee shot at the island green 17th to give himself a tap-in birdie in one of the highlights of the day.
But missed the fairway right at the last in a bid to avoid the water and being in the pine needles cost him a shot.
Min Woo Lee: The Players – Round One | 15:37
On a day where wind and rain played havoc at the 17th, Scott stuck his tee shot to two feet from the cup at the notorious 143-yard hole.
Only Ludvig Aberg’s attempt in the morning field was closer than Scott’s pearler.
The 45-year-old would have headed into the clubhouse kicking himself, however, as he ended with a double bogey at the 18th – the hardest ranked hole on the course.
Scott pulled his tee shot into the water that hugs the left hand side of the closing hole and cost himself the chance of starting the second round within touching distance of the leaders.
Adam Scott: The Players – Round One | 15:13
The Australian was not the only one to feel the sting of the last hole with European Ryder Cup star Shane Lowry ending his round with a quadruple bogey eight.
Lowry dumped two balls into the water – one off the tee and one with his approach into the green – in an all too familiar collapse.
The Irishman cost himself the Cognizant Classic less than two weeks ago with two wet balls when leading by three shots with three holes to play in the final round.
Like Scott, Lowry’s final hole meltdown also followed a birdie at 17.
Lowry’s quadruple bogey eight on 18 | 00:44
Scott opened with a bogey free, two-under par front nine with birdies at five and nine.
The former world No.1 was dialled in with his irons and wedges – sitting inside the top three for strokes gained with approaches to the green.
But let himself down off the tee and on the greens – ranked outside the top 100 in both categories.
Earlier, two-time major-winner Collin Morikawa withdrew after one hole with a back injury.
Morikawa, who won his first PGA Tour title since 2023 at Pebble Beach last month, parred his opening hole at TPC Sawgrass, the 10th, but a practice swing on the 11th tee had him backing off in some discomfort.
Adam Scott: The Players – Round One | 15:13
The American consulted his trainer and after a few more swings withdrew.
“I felt fine in warm-up,” Morikawa said. “Like nothing’s been any signs of back problems. And teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone.
“Like I just had the feeling before when it’s happened. And I just, I can’t swing through it. Trust me, I would play if I could. It’s just the worst thing in the world.”
READ MORE
Talking Pts – ‘No name’ to legend: Players truth behind hilarious Scott tale
Inside new PGA Tour chief’s schedule overhaul… and the $450m question that lingers
It is a disappointing setback for Morikawa, who has been in fine form to start the season.
In addition to his win at Pebble Beach, the 29-year-old finished in a tie for seventh at Riviera and shared fifth in the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
“Honestly, coming into this year I had a lot of confidence,” Morikawa said.
“I put a lot of work into my body just to get stronger in general, get healthier, get strong, get fitter.”
Morikawa has battled back trouble before, including at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and in 2023, when he had to withdraw from the Memorial.
It was also disappointing for alternate John Parry, who would have nabbed a spot in the field had Morikawa’s injury happened before he teed off.
Englishman Parry was the fourth alternate after Patton Kizzire and Seamus Power were elevated to the field to round out the groups of three, while David Ford replaced New Zealand’s Ryan Fox, who was hospitalised with kidney stones.
Rory McIlroy managed to overcome the back issue that forced him to withdraw from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational on the morning of the third round after saying on tournament eve that a “game-time decision” would be required to determine his fitness.
The defending champion made quite the statement on the first tee, smashing a 300 metre bomb with driver to dismiss the concerns about his back.
That powerful swing did not serve as a launching pad for his opening round, however.
Wayward tee shots regularly left McIlroy in awkward positions and he made just one birdie for the day.
The Northern Irishman eventually signed off on a two-over 74, leaving him in danger of missing the cut.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 12: Rory McIlroy struggled in Round 1Source: Getty Images
Wild weather was one of the biggest talking points of the first round with the morning groups playing through a storm until play was suspended for 21 minutes shortly after midday local time.
The afternoon tee times were pushed back half an hour and spent roughly an hour or so getting drench when they began their rounds.
The delay also meant that play had to be suspended because of darkness with several groups still out on course.
The horn blowing left Austin Smotherman in the unusual position of having to come back tomorrow morning with a near 15-foot putt for the outright lead at the final hole of his first round.
But the disruption did not stop Maverick McNealy.
The 30-year-old American fired a five-under par 67 to hold the clubhouse lead for several hours before he was joined by Hodges, Straka and Theegala.
McNealy holds early lead at the Players | 01:51
McNealy’s lead looked shaky when he missed the fairway right on the 18th, but a funny interaction with his caddie Scout, who also happens to be his younger brother.
“I think today I just mastered the variability of what the golf course threw at us really well. It was a mixed bag of everything, felt like four different seasons out there,” McNealy said.
“When that wind flipped I knew 16 was going to be kind of my last birdie opportunity, so I had 8-iron into that hole and I was glad to take advantage of that, and then hung on really well the last two.
“I think Scout and I talked through that par save on 18 really well, and he said he was going to push me in the water if I tried to cut one onto the green, so I decided to punch out.”
Scottie Scheffler birdied the last to shoot an ever par 72 – the same number Brooks Koepka carded in his Players return.
But the world No.1 was not pleased with his efforts, and took to the range afterwards in the pouring rain.
“I mean, I did some good things, changing weather out there, but overall I felt like I gave away some shots,” Scheffler said.
“Hoping to clean it up a little bit the next few days.”
He added: “I mean, birdieing the last is nice. It doesn’t taste as good when you bogey the 16th and 17th holes.
“But yeah, I felt like I struck my irons better today again, so that’s nice.
“I’ve got a different driver in the bag than I did last week. Kind of trying to clean things up.”
Scottie hits the range in the rain | 00:08
Australian youngster Karl Vilips endured a rough opening with a six at the par 4 first hole and was three-over after 15 holes.
Cam Davis shot a five-over par 77 and the Sydneysider felt the full force of the island green par 3 17th’s brutality.
Davis’ group all dumped their tee shots into the water and were forced to head to the drop zone.