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PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. ― First wind, then a spell of heavy rain.
Then more wind, with the sun dancing in and out of the clouds.
Just for the heck of it, another round of light rain.
Scores changed as quickly as the weather on March 12 in the first round of the 52nd Players Championship and Maverick McNealy did the best job among the morning wave of holding his stop-start day together at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
A veteran, but with only one PGA Tour title to his credit, McNealy birdied five of his first 12 holes and weathered an errant tee shot at No. 18 that was an indirect result of the weather, and went on to post a 5-under 67 to take the clubhouse lead by one shot over 2021 Players champion Justin Thomas and Russell Henley.
McNealy’s day was highlighted by a wedge shot into the par-5 ninth to within 4 inches and birdie putts at Nos. 2, 5, 7, 12 and 16.
He parred No. 18 after his tee shot went right and caromed off an umbrella that a volunteer had leaned against a tree. McNealy punched out and hit a wedge from 69 yards to within 2 feet of the hole, tapping in for par.
“Every time I play a Pete Dye course, I think I like more,” McNealy said of the Hall of Fame architect. “It’s definitely not one that you stand up on the tee and try to swing as hard as you can. The shot value is important. You’ve got to his every club in your back, every shape imaginable.”
McNealy has had one good week at a Players, tying for ninth in 2024. He missed a pair of cuts and finished in ties for 46th in 2022 and for 60th in 2023.
His only PGA Tour title came 85 miles north at the Sea Island Golf Club when he captured the RSM Classic in 2024.
The first round picked up where the final round in 2025 left off, with a weather suspension.
Play was halted at 12:09 p.m. when heavy rain hit the area, ahead of a storm front. Initially, the players were held in place, and play resumed after a 21-minute delay.
Light rain fell shortly thereafter, but play continued.
Last year’s tournament ended with the three-hole playoff won by Rory McIlroy over J.J. Spaun on Monday, St. Patrick’s Day, after a four-hour delay. The first-round suspension is the 24th in the history of the tournament at the TPC Sawgrass and the ninth in the first round.
Thomas, making his second start of the season after back surgery, got rolling early when he birdied Nos. 10, 11 and 12 to start, all on putts of 9 feet or less. But he halted his momentum when his second shot at the par-5 16th found the water (he made a 15-foot putt for par), followed by a three-putt for bogey at No. 17 from 38 feet and a bogey at the 18th after his drive strayed right.
But he ended with a flourish, making birdie at Nos. 5, 6 and 9 on putts between 6-8 feet.
“Felt great ... just feels great to get off to a great start at a big tournament, a tournament I love,” said Thomas, who shot 79-79 last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in his first start of the season. “I can’t necessarily say I’ve been playing well because last week was my first tournament in six months. But I felt like I was capable of doing that.”
Henley secured his tie with Thomas with three birdies among four holes on his back nine, the Stadium front, all on putts of 3 feet or less.
Defending FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood, who was 5-under through 11 holes when the round was suspended, came back to make three bogeys and a birdie to finish in a tie for fourth at 3-under 69 with Ludvig Åberg and Tony Finau.
Fleetwood had a brilliant stretch on his front nine, the Stadium Course’s back, beginning with an eagle putt of nearly 29 feet after he pounded his second shot 235 yards.
He then birdied the Island Green at No. 17 on a 24-foot putt and spanked his second shot 190 yards into the 18th green to set up a birdie roll of 12 feet.
Fleetwood birdied No. 2 on a 4-foot putt and No. 6 on a 14-footer.
He preferred to dwell on his 4-under performance on the Stadium Course’s finishing holes.
“That was massive,” he said. “A huge bonus of a stretch, really.”
Although Åberg and Finau are tied with Fleetwood, their rounds couldn’t have been more different.
Åberg, a Ponte Vedra resident from Sweden, posted the only bogey-free round among the leaders and hit the closest tee shot at No. 17 to the pin at 18 inches. He missed only three fairways and four greens.
Finau birdied five of his first seven holes, with birdie putts of 15 feet at No. 13, 18 feet at No. 14 and 16 feet at No. 15, bookended by kick-in putts at the par-5 second and 16th.
But he three-putted No. 17 from 55 feet, bogeyed No. 18 from the right rough, No. 1 from the left rough and No. 2 after his first two shots strayed into the left rough.
After another bogey at the fourth, Finau finally settled down with birdies at Nos. 6, 7 and 9 – the latter on a 26-foot putt.
Finau missed seven fairways and six greens.
Bud Cauley, who grew up in Jacksonville, birdied all four par-5 holes and shot 70 to tie with two past U.S. champions, Lucas Glover and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Cauley tied for ninth in last year’s Players.
“I’m pretty happy with it,” Cauley said of his day. “I hit a lot of good shots.”
He said he had some apprehension when play was suspended just before he would have hit his tee shot into the Island Green at No. 17.
Cauley was then the first to hit after play resumed, with the wind changing.
“The wind was switching so I was kind of guessing,” he said.
Cauley was going to hit a pitching wedge, downwind, when the horn sounded for players to stop. He had to go to an 8-iron when play resumed and the wind was into the players’ faces. His tee shot spun down the hill and into the rough but he got up-and-down for a par for the fifth time in his round.
The blustery conditions early created havoc on the golf course, especially for some players who got off to good starts.
Max Homa holed out for an eagle-two on his second swing of the day at No. 10. His wedge from 139 yards out landed on the green, bounced twice and spun back in the hole for the seventh eagle-two at the 10th hole in tournament history.
Homa birdied No. 11 but then made two doubles, at No. 12 (without going into the water on the left ... he got hung up in deep rough on the right) and No. 15 (he went bunker-to-bunker and three-putted from the left fringe).
He then birdied three in a row on the back and bogeyed the ninth for a 71.
Max Greyserman made a sprint to the top when he birdied five of his first six holes, highlighted by a putt of nearly 20 feet at No. 4 and a 15-footer at No. 6. But he bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 after trips to the rough and then found the water with his second shot at No. 12 and his tee shot at No. 13, for bogey-double bogey. He did birdie No. 17 and finished with a 73.
Jhonattan Vegas was 3-under through seven holes and then found the water twice at No. 17 and made quadruple-bogey 7. Bogeys followed at Nos. 1 and 2 before he righted the ship with birdies at the fourth and sixth holes, only to bogey nos. 7 and 9 for a 75.
Defending champion McIlroy, who said on March 12 that it would be a “game-day decision” about whether he could get his back in shape to play, was able to start his first round.
The same couldn’t be said for FedEx Cup points leader Collin Morikawa, who withdrew on his second hole after he said he injured his back on a practice swing.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Maverick McNealy leads The Players over Justin Thomas, Russell Henley
Continue reading...
Then more wind, with the sun dancing in and out of the clouds.
Just for the heck of it, another round of light rain.
Scores changed as quickly as the weather on March 12 in the first round of the 52nd Players Championship and Maverick McNealy did the best job among the morning wave of holding his stop-start day together at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
A veteran, but with only one PGA Tour title to his credit, McNealy birdied five of his first 12 holes and weathered an errant tee shot at No. 18 that was an indirect result of the weather, and went on to post a 5-under 67 to take the clubhouse lead by one shot over 2021 Players champion Justin Thomas and Russell Henley.
McNealy’s day was highlighted by a wedge shot into the par-5 ninth to within 4 inches and birdie putts at Nos. 2, 5, 7, 12 and 16.
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He parred No. 18 after his tee shot went right and caromed off an umbrella that a volunteer had leaned against a tree. McNealy punched out and hit a wedge from 69 yards to within 2 feet of the hole, tapping in for par.
“Every time I play a Pete Dye course, I think I like more,” McNealy said of the Hall of Fame architect. “It’s definitely not one that you stand up on the tee and try to swing as hard as you can. The shot value is important. You’ve got to his every club in your back, every shape imaginable.”
McNealy has had one good week at a Players, tying for ninth in 2024. He missed a pair of cuts and finished in ties for 46th in 2022 and for 60th in 2023.
His only PGA Tour title came 85 miles north at the Sea Island Golf Club when he captured the RSM Classic in 2024.
Rain caused brief delay
The first round picked up where the final round in 2025 left off, with a weather suspension.
Play was halted at 12:09 p.m. when heavy rain hit the area, ahead of a storm front. Initially, the players were held in place, and play resumed after a 21-minute delay.
Light rain fell shortly thereafter, but play continued.
Last year’s tournament ended with the three-hole playoff won by Rory McIlroy over J.J. Spaun on Monday, St. Patrick’s Day, after a four-hour delay. The first-round suspension is the 24th in the history of the tournament at the TPC Sawgrass and the ninth in the first round.
Justin Thomas, Tony Finau overcame rough patches
Thomas, making his second start of the season after back surgery, got rolling early when he birdied Nos. 10, 11 and 12 to start, all on putts of 9 feet or less. But he halted his momentum when his second shot at the par-5 16th found the water (he made a 15-foot putt for par), followed by a three-putt for bogey at No. 17 from 38 feet and a bogey at the 18th after his drive strayed right.
But he ended with a flourish, making birdie at Nos. 5, 6 and 9 on putts between 6-8 feet.
“Felt great ... just feels great to get off to a great start at a big tournament, a tournament I love,” said Thomas, who shot 79-79 last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in his first start of the season. “I can’t necessarily say I’ve been playing well because last week was my first tournament in six months. But I felt like I was capable of doing that.”
Henley secured his tie with Thomas with three birdies among four holes on his back nine, the Stadium front, all on putts of 3 feet or less.
Tommy Fleetwood led before rain delay
Defending FedEx Cup champion Tommy Fleetwood, who was 5-under through 11 holes when the round was suspended, came back to make three bogeys and a birdie to finish in a tie for fourth at 3-under 69 with Ludvig Åberg and Tony Finau.
Fleetwood had a brilliant stretch on his front nine, the Stadium Course’s back, beginning with an eagle putt of nearly 29 feet after he pounded his second shot 235 yards.
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He then birdied the Island Green at No. 17 on a 24-foot putt and spanked his second shot 190 yards into the 18th green to set up a birdie roll of 12 feet.
Fleetwood birdied No. 2 on a 4-foot putt and No. 6 on a 14-footer.
He preferred to dwell on his 4-under performance on the Stadium Course’s finishing holes.
“That was massive,” he said. “A huge bonus of a stretch, really.”
Tony Finau, Ludvig Åberg took different paths
Although Åberg and Finau are tied with Fleetwood, their rounds couldn’t have been more different.
Åberg, a Ponte Vedra resident from Sweden, posted the only bogey-free round among the leaders and hit the closest tee shot at No. 17 to the pin at 18 inches. He missed only three fairways and four greens.
Finau birdied five of his first seven holes, with birdie putts of 15 feet at No. 13, 18 feet at No. 14 and 16 feet at No. 15, bookended by kick-in putts at the par-5 second and 16th.
But he three-putted No. 17 from 55 feet, bogeyed No. 18 from the right rough, No. 1 from the left rough and No. 2 after his first two shots strayed into the left rough.
After another bogey at the fourth, Finau finally settled down with birdies at Nos. 6, 7 and 9 – the latter on a 26-foot putt.
Finau missed seven fairways and six greens.
Bud Cauley attacks par-5 holes, survives 17
Bud Cauley, who grew up in Jacksonville, birdied all four par-5 holes and shot 70 to tie with two past U.S. champions, Lucas Glover and Matt Fitzpatrick.
Cauley tied for ninth in last year’s Players.
“I’m pretty happy with it,” Cauley said of his day. “I hit a lot of good shots.”
He said he had some apprehension when play was suspended just before he would have hit his tee shot into the Island Green at No. 17.
Cauley was then the first to hit after play resumed, with the wind changing.
“The wind was switching so I was kind of guessing,” he said.
Cauley was going to hit a pitching wedge, downwind, when the horn sounded for players to stop. He had to go to an 8-iron when play resumed and the wind was into the players’ faces. His tee shot spun down the hill and into the rough but he got up-and-down for a par for the fifth time in his round.
Players rose and fell off the leaderboard
The blustery conditions early created havoc on the golf course, especially for some players who got off to good starts.
Max Homa holed out for an eagle-two on his second swing of the day at No. 10. His wedge from 139 yards out landed on the green, bounced twice and spun back in the hole for the seventh eagle-two at the 10th hole in tournament history.
Homa birdied No. 11 but then made two doubles, at No. 12 (without going into the water on the left ... he got hung up in deep rough on the right) and No. 15 (he went bunker-to-bunker and three-putted from the left fringe).
He then birdied three in a row on the back and bogeyed the ninth for a 71.
Max Greyserman made a sprint to the top when he birdied five of his first six holes, highlighted by a putt of nearly 20 feet at No. 4 and a 15-footer at No. 6. But he bogeyed Nos. 10 and 11 after trips to the rough and then found the water with his second shot at No. 12 and his tee shot at No. 13, for bogey-double bogey. He did birdie No. 17 and finished with a 73.
Jhonattan Vegas was 3-under through seven holes and then found the water twice at No. 17 and made quadruple-bogey 7. Bogeys followed at Nos. 1 and 2 before he righted the ship with birdies at the fourth and sixth holes, only to bogey nos. 7 and 9 for a 75.
Rory McIlroy able to start
Defending champion McIlroy, who said on March 12 that it would be a “game-day decision” about whether he could get his back in shape to play, was able to start his first round.
The same couldn’t be said for FedEx Cup points leader Collin Morikawa, who withdrew on his second hole after he said he injured his back on a practice swing.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Maverick McNealy leads The Players over Justin Thomas, Russell Henley
Continue reading...
