Jason Day out in front at TPC Sawgrass, Rory McIlroy seven off the pace
Friday 13 May 2016 18:32, UK
Jason Day underlined his status as world No 1 as he produced a record-equalling performance on a low-scoring opening day of The Players Championship.
Day defied the effects of fatigue as he became only the fifth player since the tournament's inception in 1974 to cover the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in just 63 shots, opening up a two-shot lead over the star-studded field.
The Australian, who missed the cut for the third time in the PGA Tour's flagship event last year after a second-round 81, carded nine birdies in a flawless day's work which put rivals Jordan Spieth, Rory McIlroy and Rickie Fowler firmly in the shade.
Bubba Watson (69) was the only other member of the world's top-five to break par on day one, with Spieth failing to take advantage of the benign, early conditions in the same group as Day, while McIlroy and Fowler aslo have ground to make up after also returning 72s as the breeze got up for the later starters.
Shane Lowry broke the scoring record for the back nine as he stormed home in just 29 blows to post a 65 and earn a share of second with Justin Rose, who hit every green in regulation blotted his card only once with a three-putt from close to 50 feet at the fourth.
But Day was in a class of his own and got up and running with a 30-foot putt for birdie at the 10th, the first of three consecutive gains, and he got another putt to drop for birdie at 17 as he cruised to the turn in 32.
The Australian began the front nine with three birdies in four holes, and he added another at the seventh before a long-range putt at the eighth narrowly missed the target to realistically end his hopes of a new course record.
A sublime bunker escape set up a tap-in birdie at the ninth to put daylight between himself and the field, and he said: "I played solid from tee to green and I was very confident with my putter. It's been a long week because it's been hot and I just felt really tired all day, but that kind of distracted me from anything else."
Cameron Tringale was first into the clubhouse on seven under before he was joined by Lowry, who turned at level par before igniting an astonishing run of scoring with a birdie putt from 35 feet at the 10th.
The Irishman pitched in for eagle at the 11th before converting superb approaches to the next two holes, and further birdies at 16 and 18 saw him become the first man to break 30 on the inward half.
Rose also found a rich vein of form midway through his opener, following an eagle at the long 16th - his seventh - with birdies at each of his next four holes before he atoned for his blemish at the fourth with a closing birdie at nine.
American pair Bill Haas and Brendan Steele joined the tie for second, while Italian Ryder Cup star Francesco Molinari and four-time major champion Ernie Els returned confident 66s.
Masters champion Danny Willett battled to a 70 in his first round since his stunning triumph at Augusta National, although that was two behind Paul Casey and one more than fellow Englishmen Ian Poulter and Matt Fitzpatrick.
McIlroy struggled to give himself birdie chances over the outward nine while dropping a shot at the fifth as he turned in 37 before he picked up his first shot at 11, where he missed from 10 feet for eagle after a sparkling 234-yard second.
The world No 3 parred the next four and then suffered a bad break at the 16th, where his second took a huge bounce off the back of the bunker guarding the green and his ball bounced past the flag and into the hazard.
McIlroy missed his four-foot par putt, but he found the target from similar range to reward a superb wedge at 17 and he did well to scramble a par at the last when he pushed his 130-yard approach long and right.
Fowler looked on course for a big day when he birdied two of the first three holes and was three under with six to play after birdies at 11 and 12, but the defending champion three-putted the 14th green and punched his second into water at the last en route to a closing double-bogey six.
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