McIlroy, Schauffele, Clark share Round 1 lead at The Players
Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Wyndham Clark each fired a 65 on Thursday to share the first-round lead by one stroke at The Players Championship.
Play was suspended due to darkness with nine players yet to finish. Play will resume at 8:50 a.m. ET on Friday, and the second round will be played as scheduled at 7:40 a.m.
McIlroy made 10 birdies on the day but also endured his fair share of water trouble at TPC Sawgrass. The world's second-ranked player rinsed his tee shot on No. 18 en route to a bogey, then found the drink again on No. 7, causing drama with playing partners Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland about where he was eligible to drop.
After a lengthy debate, the group determined McIlroy was clear to drop rather than re-tee, and he ultimately made a double-bogey on the hole.
Schauffele posted a bogey-free day, highlighted by five birdies in a six-hole stretch in the middle of his round.
Clark registered three consecutive birdies on holes 15-17 to grab a piece of the lead.
Soft conditions enabled plenty of birdies in the opening round of the Florida swing's marquee event, and many of the TOUR's best players took full advantage.
| Position | Player | Score |
|---|---|---|
| T-1 | Rory McIlroy | -7 |
| T-1 | Xander Schauffele | -7 |
| T-1 | Wyndham Clark | -7 |
| T-4 | Nick Taylor | -6 |
| T-4 | Matt Fitzpatrick | -6 |
| T-6 | Tom Hoge | -5 |
| T-6 | Jason Day | -5 |
| T-6 | Ludvig Aberg | -5 |
| T-6 | Scottie Scheffler | -5 |
| T-6 | Tyler Duncan | -5 |
| T-6 | Maverick McNealy | -5 |
| T-6 | Jimmy Stanger* | -5 |
* - Through 16
Max Homa (-4), Corey Conners (-4), Hideki Matsuyama (-3), Tommy Fleetwood (-2) Justin Rose (-2), Adam Scott (-2), and Sungjae Im (-2) are among the notable golfers within five shots of the lead.