(Photo by Nancy DeLander Beecher)
VEDRA BEACH (Florida Sports Wire) – Xander Schauffele shared the lead after the first round, with a score of 65 (-7) shots, tied with Rory McIlroy and Wyndham Clark.
Schauffele (T1/-7) was bogey-free 65; first score of 65 or lower and first bogey-free score in 15 career rounds at THE PLAYERS Championship.
McIlroy (T1/-7) made 10 birdies en route to a first-round 65, tying the tournament record for most birdies (or better) in a round. The ninth player with 10 birdies (or better) in a round at THE PLAYERS Championship and first since Tom Hoge and Taylor Moore in 2023 (both R3).
It was Clark’s (T1/-7) fourth career 18-hole lead/co-lead in individual stroke-play events on TOUR; 0-for-3 to date (17th/2017 Sanderson Farms Championship, T34/2020 WM Phoenix Open, T7/2022 RBC Canadian Open).
The first round was suspended at 7:32 p.m. ET due to darkness with nine players left to complete the round and will resume at 8:50 a.m. Friday.
Tournament officials announced that Saturday tickets for THE PLAYERS Championship are sold out on the primary ticket page.
Tickets may be available via THE PLAYERS verified resale site. Only tickets transferred or resold through THE PLAYERS verified resale site are 100% verified and guaranteed. Fans are cautioned against purchasing tickets from any other outlet. Note: THE PLAYERS does not regulate or control the pricing of the tickets on the verified resale site.
“We’re excited and thankful to the fans for their overwhelming response, as evidenced by Saturday selling out. We have a great weekend of golf ahead of us and can’t wait to continue celebrating our 50th anniversary with the Northeast Florida community and fans visiting THE PLAYERS from around the globe,” said Lee Smith, THE PLAYERS Executive Director.
The general parking lot has also reached capacity for Saturday. Parking passes may still be available on THE PLAYERS verified resale site. Tickets and parking passes are still available for Sunday and can be purchased at THEPLAYERS.com/tickets.
First Round Miscellaneous Notes
- Defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler opens with a 5-under 67; no player has ever successfully defended a title at THE PLAYERS Championship.Jimmy Stanger, the last player in the field at No. 96 in the FedExCup Playoffs and Eligibility Points list through the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches, is 5-under through 16* at the time of suspension
- Matt Kuchar (T109/+2) and Corey Conners (T13/-4) play Nos. 10-12 in birdie-eagle-birdie, becoming the first two players in the ShotLink era to begin their rounds on No. 10 and card three consecutive 3s on Nos. 10-12.
- Tom Kim withdrew during the first round due to illness.
