The Players Championship began Thursday morning, with previous winner Rory McIlroy present and eager to put forth a back to back victory. It was until the weather in Ponte Vedra had plans of its own, creating an early weather delay that seemed to deter some. A current five way tie will be the story of round two, as the continuance of round one will come first due to the darkness shutting things down. Struggles off the tee on an already difficult course will be a high hurdle, yet those on Tour are more than capable of the turnaround.
Struggle All Around
With struggles off the tee from some of the top in leader-boards, to early injuries, the beginning of The Players Championship has been a true up and down. Those like Collin Morikawa saw an early end to his play, after injuring his back on a practice swing.
“I felt fine in warm-up,” Morikawa said. “Like nothing’s been any signs of back problems. Honestly, (on the) first hole (I) felt great, hit two great shots, hit a great putt. Teed it up, nothing felt bad. (I) teed it up on 11 and took one practice swing and I just knew it was gone. It all hit me at one second, where I was like, ‘Something doesn’t feel right.’”
On the other side of things where expectations were high, results were lackluster to say the least with prominent Scottie Scheffler. Putting together the fourth time in his last five tournaments failing to break par. A season Scheffler has rarely had if ever, and now he’s facing roadblocks that seem to be tougher to propel than others before.
It’s easier hitting it from the fairway than it is from the rough. I played from the rough a lot today,” Scheffler said. “I hit some good iron shots, which was really nice. … And I did a pretty good job of managing my way around the course. Just got to be a little sharper.”
Tough Three Rounds Remaining
With a little of round one left to play and an entire three up for grabs, those tied for first will be in prime position to capitalize. All finishing three under par, show weather and outside factors, seemed to be the least of their worries.
“I felt like all day I was playing from the rough, which is not ideal out here,” Sepp Straka said. “Fortunately my iron play and wedge play was pretty nice today, and I was able to make a lot of putts to save some pars.”
As many questioned whether or not this tournament stood the grounds of being considered as a Major, it has the potential to live up to its expectations. Current positioning and story lines, prove the importance of this course and the many different inputs it can add on the daily.
Main Photo Credit: © Jeff Romance-Imagn Images
