As anticipated, the primary spherical of The Gamers Championship produced thrilling drama. From hole-outs, to blow ups, to numerous balls within the water, Thursday at TPC Sawgrass didn’t disappoint.
Right here is every thing you should know by 18 holes.
Spherical 1 Scores:
T1. Lucas Glover -6 — 66
T1. J.J. Spaun -6 — 66
T1. Camilo Villegas -6 — 66
T4. Min Woo Lee -5 — 67
T4. Billy Horschel -5 — 67
T4. Rory McIlroy -5 — 67
T4. Akshay Bhatia -5 — 67
T4. Max McGreevy -5 — 16
T9. Chandler Phillips -4 — 68
T9. Alex Smalley -4 — 68
T9. Stephan Jaeger -4 — 68
T9. Aaron Rai -4 — 68
T9. Bud Cauley -4 —68
T9. Denny McCarthy -4 — 68
T9. Rickie Fowler -4 — 68
T9. Sam Ryder -4 — 68
T9. Emiliano Grillo -4 — 68
T9. Laurie Canter -4 — 68
T9. Trey Mullinax -4 — 68
T20. Scottie Scheffler -3 — 69
T20. 10 others -3 — 69
Takeaways:
Lucas Glover closes with scorching end
Lucas Glover arrived on the par-4 fifteenth gap sitting at 2-under par. 4 holes later, he walked off the golf course sitting atop the leaderboard, because the 2009 U.S. Open champion made 4 straight birdies to finish his day.
Glover on his closing stretch:
“On 15, I had an incredible quantity, in order that was a inexperienced gentle. 16, if you happen to hit it within the fairway you’re feeling like it’s best to make a 4. I drew lie within the left tough. On 17, I occurred to know a putt from years previous hitting it there and over-reading it. Then 18, wind switched; I had assist hastily. It was an 8-iron quantity and ended up hitting a 9-iron. Then gravity type of took over for me and pulled it down there to the left, which it does to that gap location if you happen to simply get the correct quantity.”
The 45-year-old hit 11-of-14 fairways on Thursday, one thing you will need to do to have success at TPC Sawgrass. He then hit 13-of-18 greens and ranked tenth in strokes gained placing. That’s the way you get the job performed on the Stadium Course.
Glover’s final top-10 at The Gamers got here in 2017, when he tied for sixth. He’s hoping to do a lot better than that this week.
Jordan Spieth’s loopy entrance 9
Jordan Spieth put collectively an unimaginable scorecard on his opening 9 holes, which included hole-out eagles on each the par-5 eleventh and par-5 sixteenth. However it was not all roses. He made a double-bogey six after discovering the water off the tee on the par-4 14th. He additionally three-putted the seventeenth, dropping a shot on the well-known island inexperienced. All of it added as much as a 2-under 34, and Spieth finally signed for a 2-under 70 — a stable rating for any opening spherical at TPC Sawgrass.
Higher but, Spieth, who didn’t play from late August to early February attributable to a wrist harm, stated he feels good about his well being now that he has performed in 4 occasions already this season.
“I’m very enthusiastic about that, so that enables me to really feel like I can exit proper now and push it a bit, once I couldn’t the primary few weeks, first few occasions of the season,” Spieth stated.
“I needed to type of rebuild stuff from just a few months of nothing, and it wasn’t like I used to be coming again to one thing that was already nice proper earlier than. I used to be in some actually unhealthy habits for a yr and a half.”
Spieth has not gained a match for the reason that 2022 RBC Heritage, however it seems just like the three-time main winner is trending in the correct path. Let’s see if he can stick with it this weekend.
Rory McIlroy slaps collectively stable spherical
Rory McIlroy hit solely 4-of-14 fairways, with a lot of his drives lacking to the correct. Normally his robust swimsuit, the Northern Irishman additionally had struggles off the tee final week at Bay Hill. He solely hit 42-percent of his fairways on the API, rating fiftieth within the area in that metric. Extra of the identical adopted on Thursday, as McIlroy ranked sixty fifth in strokes gained off the tee.
“I actually didn’t drive it the best way I needed to. Didn’t hit it in as many fairways as I’d have appreciated. Yeah, I believe with the greens being so receptive, you may get away with it somewhat bit. I’m not going to have the ability to get away with it for the remainder of the week. Kind of rode my luck on the market somewhat bit,” McIlroy defined.
“However I’m attempting to hit this minimize shot into play. Lacking proper off the tee right here on any gap is method higher than lacking left. Simply form of hitting this minimize form of up into the wind, and clearly you don’t have to hit it too.”
But, his restoration pictures had been sensational, particularly his punch out from the pine straw on the 18th. McIlroy hit a low screamer, which carried on to the entrance portion of the inexperienced. His ball settled ready that anybody from the golf green would take, roughly seven ft under the opening. He then knocked it in for a birdie and now sits one stroke behind the lead.
Scottie Scheffler lurking after “okay spherical”
Two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler made 4 birdies and one bogey on the par-4 tenth gap en path to a 3-under 69.
“I really feel okay concerning the spherical,” Scheffler assessed.
“I believe the golf course is taking part in good. There’s punishment on the market with the heavy tough, and clearly a variety of hazards. A little bit of a breeze this afternoon. General felt like I did some respectable issues on the market and gave myself some possibilities.”
He did miss some golden alternatives down the stretch, corresponding to birdie possibilities on the fifteenth, seventeenth, and 18th holes. As soon as once more, Scheffler misplaced strokes to the sector along with his putter. He’ll want his flat persist with warmth up somewhat this weekend if he hopes to safe a 3rd straight Gamers Championship.
Justin Decrease makes probably the most unimaginable par you’ll ever see
Justin Decrease made one heck of a 3 on the par-3 seventeenth gap.
After discovering the water off the tee, Decrease went to the drop zone and proceeded to gap out for a 3. There are not any footage on a scorecard, however Decrease will keep in mind that par save without end.
Max Homa, Viktor Hovland proceed to battle
Each Max Homa and Viktor Hovland look utterly misplaced.
Homa, who has seen his Official World Golf Rating plummet over the previous 12 months, shot a 7-over 79 on Thursday. He misplaced nearly 4 strokes on strategy, hitting solely 5 greens in regulation. His first 9 holes could possibly be described as a nightmare, as Homa went out with a 6-over 42, which included double bogies on the par-4 4th and par-5 ninth holes. He additionally dropped pictures on the par-5 2nd and the par-4 fifth — making bogies on the par-5s at TPC Sawgrass is rarely a recipe for fulfillment.
Hovland, in the meantime, is the one participant within the area who failed to interrupt 80.
The enduring picture of his opening spherical got here on the fifteenth gap, the place Hovland airmailed his drive into the bushes. He then received down on his abdomen to seize his golf ball, with the higher half of his physique entrenched within the foliage.
Hovland went on to make a double-bogey on the fifteenth. He then bounced again with a birdie on the benign sixteenth, however that proved to be his final par-breaker of the day.
The Norwegian’s spherical turned for the more serious on his last 9 — the entrance facet at TPC Sawgrass — as he made a triple bogey seven on the fifth and a double bogey six on the sixth. Like that, Hovland sunk to the underside of the leaderboard and can want a Herculean effort on Friday to make the minimize.
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying By. Observe him on X @jack_milko.
