The PLAYERS Championship: Fleetwood, Bradley on top, McIlroy in hunt

The PLAYERS Championship made its return to March after more than a decade in May. The conditions showed in play on the course, but solid scores were still posted, with Tommy Fleetwood leading the field. Keegan Bradley and Rory McIlroy are also well in the hunt.

Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy took advantage of gentler winds in the morning wave of golfers and put themselves into contention at The Players Championship. Keegan Bradley was among a handful who were able to post good scores in the afternoon. He is tied with Fleetwood.

“I played really well,” Fleetwood said. “I kind of drove it so well that I was always in a good position.”

He called being in the short grass a “massive key” to shooting a good score at TPC Sawgrass.

“I love the golf course, really,” he added. “If you hit it well, like I did today, you’re going to have chances, and you can shoot a good score.”

Fleetwood played the back side first and birdied only one hole there, the drivable par four 12th. He made birdie even after landing his drive in a pot bunker.

The wind picked up after noon, blowing 12-22 MPH, making it harder for those who played in the afternoon groups. But for Fleetwood, the front side was incredible. He made six birdies starting at the 1st and 2nd. He birdied very tough holes, including the par four 5th, the par four 7th, the par 3 8th, and the par five 9th.

More from PGA

In addition to driving it well, Fleetwood had his putter working. He made some long putts, like the one from 28 feet at the par-3 8th, a hole that is traditionally very difficult to birdie.

Rory McIlroy posted a 67 and is tied for fifth. He had no bogeys. He birdied two of the par fives, the driveable par-4 12th, the difficult par-4 5th and the island 17th.

He noted that he hit driver on some holes where he had not been able to previously, like the 4th.

“It was back into the wind,” he explained, “but still, the ball hits on the fairway and it’s not going that – it’s staying within sort of 10 yards of its pitch mark,” he said.

McIlroy is a fan of the March conditions.

“It’s a Pete Dye golf course. You’ve got all these funky lies around, and in May it gets firm. You get a bad bounce here,” he explained. “With the rye (grass) and how lush the grass is, even if you hit it into these banks, it’s not going too far, so you can be a little more aggressive.”

When asked about getting poor Sunday performances behind him, McIlroy was chipper in his answer.

“It’s a new week. That’s the great thing about golf,” he noted. “Once you wake up on Monday morning, it’s a fresh start. It’s a new tournament. It’s a new opportunity.”

He also pointed out that in previous recent tournaments, he had not been in the lead when the final round started.

“I’d say the only Sunday I was really disappointed in this year was Kapalua,” he said. “Every other Sunday, I’ve basically done what I’ve wanted to do.”

The PLAYERS move to March will demand more of Tour's bombers. dark. Next

Other players of note:

Dustin Johnson looked like he was on his way to a 5-under par first round. That was until he made a six on the 9th hole, his last of the day.

“Obviously a little frustrated with the six on nine,” he said, “but other than that, all in all, it was a really good day. I felt like I gave myself a lot of chances. I rolled it pretty good. I didn’t really make any putts.”

Those struggling in the first round include Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson. They will have to step up their games to make the cut.

Home/PGA