Sepp Straka and Sahith Theegala headline a group of five tied for the lead at 5-under par following the first round of The Players Championship.
Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, and Austin Smotherman are the others atop a crowded leaderboard at TPC Sawgrass. Play was suspended due to darkness with Smotherman on the 18th green.
Position
Player
Score
T1
Maverick McNealy
67 (-5)
T1
Lee Hodges
67 (-5)
T1
Sepp Straka
67 (-5)
T1
Sahith Theegala
67 (-5)
T1
Austin Smotherman
67 (-5)
T2
Justin Thomas
68 (-4)
T2
Russell Henley
68 (-4)
T2
Taylor Moore
68 (-4)
T2
Cameron Young
68 (-4)
👉 See who’s favored to win The Players on theScore Bet here
Star players Tony Finau, Ludvig Aberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, and Xander Schauffele are also in the mix at 3-under.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy participated in the first round after a back injury made him a game-time decision. He struggled with a 2-over 74.
World No. 4 Collin Morikawa withdrew from the event after tweaking his back on a practice swing. He played only one hole before exiting the tournament.
Scottie Scheffler continued his 2026 trend of lackluster opening rounds, carding an even-par 72. He won the signature event in 2023 and 2024.
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