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Course stars in Round 1 of Players Championship

 
Tiger Woods sees his future at the par-3 No. 8 after his tee shot. He ends up with a double bogey on his way to 1-over 73. “I didn’t get much out of that round.”
Tiger Woods sees his future at the par-3 No. 8 after his tee shot. He ends up with a double bogey on his way to 1-over 73. “I didn’t get much out of that round.”
Published May 8, 2015

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — For all the hype over Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth playing together, and the constant curiosity over Tiger Woods, one element at the Players Championship didn't change Thursday. The golf course hogged the spotlight.

Charley Hoffman had eight birdies in a round that showed TPC Sawgrass can strike at any time. A triple bogey on his 10th hole turned a great day into a very good one. His 5-under 67 gave him a share of the lead with Hideki Matsuyama, David Hearn and Kevin Na.

McIlroy lived up to his end of the bargain in the feature group with 69. So did Jason Day, the third member of the power trio. Spieth went the other direction, racking up five bogeys for 75 that matched his highest score of the year and left him in danger of missing the cut.

"Just a really, really poor day," Spieth said.

Woods didn't feel much better about his round, which featured a tee shot struck so poorly that it went into the water on a par 3 — not on the island green at No. 17 but in a creek some 40 yards short of the green at No. 8.

"I didn't know it was there until now," Woods said.

He also put his tee shot into the water on No. 18 for a closing double bogey and 73 that he believed should have been better.

"Probably the highest score I could have shot (Thursday)," said Woods, who shot his fourth straight opening round over par in official PGA Tour events. That is the first time that has happened in his pro career, the Golf Channel said.

The Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass holds a certain mystique after more than three decades. Even in reasonable conditions — warmth, sunshine and a little wind — no one fared better than 67. Two dozen players broke 70; 76 players in the 144-man field were at par or better.

Thirty-nine players were at or within three of the lead, the most after the first round of the tournament since it moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982, the Golf Channel said.

This is a rare course where McIlroy can make 14 pars and call it a good day.

"I think that's what this course is all about," McIlroy said. "It's about staying patient. There's a lot of pars on my card, but I was able to pick off a couple of birdies and a nice eagle on 16. I'm happy with the start, for sure."

Spieth felt something wrong with his alignment when he arrived Monday, and he still hasn't sorted it out. He got behind quickly, and that didn't help. After failing to save par from short of the green on No. 10 to start his round, he had to hit three wedges around the green and finally got up-and-down for bogey on the par-5 11th.

His second shot was left of the green in a grass bunker, the ball sitting so far down in the grass that Spieth walked up to it and said, "You've got to be kidding me." With a full, powerful swing, he advanced it some 50 feet — from a regular lie, that shot would have gone 110 yards — to just under the lip of a bunker. It was another bad lie, and he advanced the next one only 18 feet to the collar.

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He turned birdie into bogey on the 16th with an approach just through the green and into thick rough, where he had to stand on the planks framing the water. The chip was soft and didn't reach the green, and he took three shots from there.

"It's just one of those days where I started maybe looking into it a little too much rather than just accepting it and going forward," he said. "Just going to have to find some answers."

Hoffman was thrilled with his eight birdies, the most of anyone. His triple bogey came out of nowhere right after he made the turn.

"Obviously, you don't ever want to take a triple, double, quad, whatever it is," Hoffman said. "But at least I gave myself time to get them back. It's better than doing it on the 72nd hole, I can guarantee you that."

Derek Fathauer and Rickie Fowler were the only players to reach 6 under at any point.

Fathauer made eagle on the par-5 second, birdie at No. 3, then holed a wedge for eagle at No. 4. He had a chance for the outright lead until closing with a pair of bogeys and three pars for 68. He was in a group of six one shot off the lead.

After hitting 6 under, Fowler made double bogey at No. 3 (his 12th hole) and finished with bogey for 69. He was with McIlroy in a group of 14 at 3 under.

Fowler all business all day, especially when an anonymous survey was mentioned. The survey of PGA Tour players, which Sports Illustrated has conducted for years, had Fowler and Ian Poulter tied for most overrated player on the tour. Each received 24 percent of the vote.

Fowler is in his sixth year and has only two victories, the Wells Fargo Championship and the Korea Open. He finished in the top five last year at all four majors — only Jack Nicklaus and Woods have done that — though he was in serious contention only at the PGA Championship. Asked if he was irritated by the survey, Fowler said no.

"It's fine by me," he said. "I'm going to try and play as well as I can this week, and I'm going to take care of my business."