Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge stand alone atop the leaderboard after a rain-filled Round 1 at The Players Championship.
The pair were undeterred by a lengthy delay lasting over four hours, firing matching 6-under 66s around a very forgiving TPC Sawgrass. Due to the severe weather, the afternoon wave of players was unable to take to the course until almost 5 p.m. ET, leaving half the field still to complete their rounds on Friday morning.
Joaquin Niemann, Kramer Hickok, Keith Mitchell, and Anirban Lahiri sit one shot off the pace at 5-under, with a number of players two shots back, including Abraham Ancer and Sam Burns.
| Place | Player | Round 1 score | Total to par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Tommy Fleetwood | 66 | -6 |
| T1 | Tom Hoge | 66 | -6 |
| T3 | Keith Mitchell | 67 | -6 |
| T3 | Joaquin Niemann | 67 | -5 |
| T3 | Kramer Hickok | 67 | -5 |
| T3 | Anirban Lahiri | 67 | -5 |
| T7 | Brian Harman | 68 | -4 |
| T7 | Sam Burns | 68 | -4 |
| T7 | Abraham Ancer | 68 | -4 |
| T7 | Taylor Pendrith | Thru 16 | -4 |
The players were held off the course for just over an hour to begin their rounds before taking to the Jacksonville-area layout shortly after 8 a.m. Lightning in the area stopped play at 11 a.m., with the break lasting until 3:15 p.m.
Fleetwood set the early pace at 4-under before the stoppage and returned to make three more birdies against one bogey to post 66. Hoge matched him later in the morning group with a round that included an incredible chip-in eagle on the par-5 second.
World No. 1 Jon Rahm sits in a pack at 3-under, the best round by the big names in the morning groups. Defending champion Justin Thomas was among the afternoon wave to just begin their rounds alongside players like 2019 winner Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, and Jordan Spieth.
The weather forecast doesn't offer much hope for Friday, as rain is supposed to begin early in the morning and last throughout the day. The one sliver of positive news is the thunderstorms that halted play Thursday aren't supposed to surface during Day 2.
