The Players Championship

The PGA Tour's largest purse of the year is on the line at TPC Sawgrass, where most of the world's best players are gathered for The Players Championship.

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Live leaderboard scores, analysis, updates and highlights from Round 1 at The Players.

A reminder that everybody on the Tour hits it good, but the top players in the world hit it a little differently. [pic.twitter.com/UcgT5MpKlR] [March 9, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/M6nejAQQLZ] [March 9, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/b6ZmbQpuql] [March 9, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/ktnlGRBWbv] [March 9, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/eiZe7HhcSd] [March 9, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/98PPdhED1K] [March 9, 2023] [pic.twitter.com/TFHEtiYOQW] [March 9, 2023] With par 5s in the final stretches of each nine, the course average should trickle down but may be something to monitor with Chez Reavaie and Justin Lower being 3 under roughly halfway through. What will go down at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday? Add it all up, and The Players is going to rock from Thursday morning onward. The PGA Tour hosts its biggest event of the season Thursday as the 2023 Players Championship gets underway at TPC Sawgrass ...

The Sporting News is tracking live scores and highlights from the Players Championship. Follow for results from the first day of the tournament.

Golf Channel and NBC will be the television homes of the 2023 Players Championship. It's a beautiful Thursday morning at TPC Sawgrass and the first wave of players is already well underway in their opening round. — Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of The Players Championship 2023! Rahm is at -2, Scheffler is at even and McIlroy is struggling a bit at +2 right now. — Another bogey for McIlroy drops him all the way down to +4 and close to the very bottom of the leaderboard. — What a round Morikawa has going! They'll be the marquee group as the first round winds down in Ponte Vedra. Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, drops yet another shot to finish the day with a 76 (+4). — Ramey makes a solid par on the last hole to finish with a round of -8 (64). The Sporting News will be tracking live scores and highlights from Thursday's Round 1 leaderboard. — Disaster for Thomas at the 4th hole as he pitches it into the water from just off the green. That doesn't mean the field will be missing all its previous winners.

As the 2023 Players Championship takes place, here's all the details you need to know. 2023 Players Championship: Know how to watch on TV, stream online and ...

3, 12, 16, 17): 7:15 am onwards However, [Thomas](/topic/thomas)needs to improve his recent inconsistent form if he hopes to win for the second time in three years. Although defending champion Cameron Smith will not be in attendance after joining [LIV Golf](/topic/liv-golf), the two prior champions, [Justin Thomas](/topic/justin-thomas)and Collin Morikawa, are among the top names in the field.

Following an interesting and industry-shaping press conference on Tuesday in which McIlroy discussed the future of the PGA Tour and professional golf, he was ...

McIlroy will play late on Friday alongside Rahm and Scottie Scheffler as he tries to shoot something silly to play his way inside the cut and perhaps back into the tournament a bit. This was not helped by the fact that he left a shot in the bunker on that same closing hole. That's why his number ballooned right past even par to 4 over, one of the worst scores in the morning wave. He bounced back with birdie at the par-5 11th, but even his biggest highlight on his first nine (the back nine on the course) wasn't actually a highlight. McIlroy made just one putt longer than 4 feet, and it came on the last hole for bogey to avoid shooting 77. (He played the par-5s at even par, a horrible number for him.)

World number three Rory McIlroy endured a disastrous start to the Players Championship, shooting a four-over 76 in his first round at TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy said: “I feel like this is as penal as I’ve seen it out of the rough for a long time. Rahm, who has five wins in his last 10 starts, had a tough day with the putter but still managed a one-under 71. I think you’d have to go back to when the tournament was played in May, when we were in Bermuda rough, for it to be as penal as that. Both went bogey-free in the opening round, with world number 225 Ramey chasing just his second-ever PGA Tour win. He added that he was battling with a new driver in his bag, saying: “I wish I could use my driver from last year, but I can’t just because of -- you use a driver for so long, and...basically it just wouldn’t pass the test. [How LIV lost its ‘pulse’ in golf’s ugly civil war as Norman faces truth he can’t escape](https://www.foxsports.com.au/golf/tiger-woods-ex-accuses-him-of-shocking-act-claims-shes-due-30-million/news-story/d066bd3eedd153402de4baf17d2c64be) [Tiger Woods’ private life is ‘about to take another beating’. Of the other Australians, Cam Davis carded a three-under 69 to sit tied for ninth. It’s very few times you’re going to have a ball in the rough where you can confidently think you can put it on the green.” It’s thick. Even when you’re in the fairway, you have to hit a lot of quality shots to give yourself a birdie chance... Adam Scott is tied for 45th after an even-par 72. The highlight of the day’s play was Hayden Buckley on the iconic 17th hole – the famed Island Green – with a sensational ace leading to wild celebrations.

The Northern Irishman had arrived at the PGA Tour's flagship event seeking a return to the world number one spot, but little went right for him on day one after ...

Australian Min Woo Lee put himself among the early front-runners after six birdies in his opening 13 holes but he finished on four under after closing with back-to-back bogeys. He followed up with successive birdies on the 18th and first to briefly move to five under par but he later fell away and signed for a one-over 73 after double bogeys on the sixth and eighth. The Northern Irishman had arrived at the PGA Tour’s flagship event seeking a return to the world number one spot, but little went right for him on day one after beginning with a double bogey.

The early rounds of The Players Championship featured a mix of circus shots and miscues at the Stadium Course.

18 and No. He turned and needed just over 6 feet of putts to play the next two holes at 3-under: a birdie putt of 2 feet, 2 inches at No. 16 and birdied No. 16 and 18 but then turned and played the front nine 1-over for a 71. 1 and an eagle putt of 3-7 at No. 10, and bided his time with a string of pars until he dropped a 20-foot putt for birdie at No. Rory McIlroy, ranked third, had an awful day, beginning with a double-bogey on his first hole, the par-4 10th, and finished with a 76. 15 and tapped in for birdie at No. 10 and 11, then highlighted the day with a birdie putt of 13 inches at the par-3 17th hole. 225th-ranked player in the world fired a bogey-free 64 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and finished one shot ahead of two-time major champion Collin Morikawa. Ramey, a former Mississippi State player, birdied three of his first six holes (including a 30-foot bomb on No. He is the clubhouse leader in his first Players Championship and he made it look easy with a bogey-free 64, one shot clear of two-time major champion Collin Morikawa.

A scorching hot stretch on the PGA Tour continues this week as 44 of the top 50 players in the world convene at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday morning with ...

onward Here's how you can watch as much of the 2023 Players Championship as possible throughout the week. Check out the full set of Defending champion Cameron Smith is not in attendance after defecting to LIV Golf, but the two prior champs -- Justin Thomas and Collin Morikawa -- are among the top names in the field. Following a couple tremendous designated events, the PGA Tour's signature event goes down just under a month before major season begins with the 2023 Masters. Thomas, though, will need to turnaround some uneven play of late if he hopes to win for the second time in three years.

Rory McIlroy posted an opening 76 at the Players Championship due to some wayward driving, his worst competitive score in nearly two years.

I need to regroup and try to shoot a good one tomorrow and be here for the weekend.” Unsurprisingly, McIlroy was seen battering drives down the range long after his round had concluded. There’s obviously a part of it that’s the user, as well. “They were testing drivers at Riviera but I just didn’t even want to take the chance. “That’s the reason the score is what it is.” McIlroy said: “I went to that new driver in Riviera, and it’s just not … After all, a bounce is precisely what McIlroy needs during round two in order to survive for the weekend.

Chad Ramey didn't look like a PLAYERS Championship rookie on Thursday as he cruised around TPC Sawgrass in a flawless 8-under 64 to take the lead after the ...

Hardest hole: Two holes later, the par-4 18th hole was the most difficult hole of the first round, playing to a stroke average of 4.36. After a double bogey to start, he made birdie on his second hole and felt like he was able to get back into the round on the par-5 16th hole (his seventh of the day), but he three-putted for par. 9, the longest hit on any hole Thursday. 363: The distance of Cameron Young’s drive on No. Andre Stolz made 11 on 18 during the second round in 2005. and the second round will begin as scheduled. 10: The number of strokes it took Aaron Wise to complete the 18th hole after hitting three balls in the water off the tee. His putting held him back immensely as he lost nearly 2.5 strokes on the greens. [Rory Has Work to Do](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2023/03/09/rory-mcilroy-struggles-to-opening-round-76-at-the-players-championship-tpc-sawgrass__;!!EuSotcx3mN0!MPqVqvvzDFl8hAEierKFWTqX0tmxXr0ZtYFNj4IauxGqGBuodKgqpbsV19F087OF4k7urGxH0nZR51rlO22nGe0$): Not much went right for the world No. Ramey led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting, gaining more than five strokes on the greens. He then made birdie on the 18th hole, making him the only player in PLAYERS history to go 1-3 on 17 and 18. The 30-year-old from Mississippi, who won the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship, birdied six of his first 11 holes to sprint out of the blocks, then birdied Nos.

"The Island Green" -- three words that have struck fear into the hearts of even the most talented golfers.

The fairytale continued as Buckley birdied the subsequent par-four, making him the first player on record at The Players Championship to follow up a hole-in-one at the 17th with a birdie at the 18th, according to the PGA Tour. 107 and is chasing his first PGA Tour title, it marked the second hole-in-one of his PGA Tour career following his first at the Shriners Children’s Open in 2021 – coincidentally, also at the 17th hole. For Buckley, who arrived in Florida as world No.

Golf star hits THREE drives into the water in a row in all-time meltdown on brutal hole.

He closed his round with an eight-over 80, one of three players on that mark. He finished with a three-over seven – part of a horror 10-over 82 that left him 144th and dead last after the first day. [How LIV lost its ‘pulse’ in golf’s ugly civil war as Norman faces truth he can’t escape](https://www.foxsports.com.au/golf/tiger-woods-ex-accuses-him-of-shocking-act-claims-shes-due-30-million/news-story/d066bd3eedd153402de4baf17d2c64be) [Tiger Woods’ private life is ‘about to take another beating’. But even if you avoid the water and get through that test unscathed – no mean feat to be sure – the next hole is arguably even tougher. But he hit THREE tee shots straight into the water on the 18th, before overcompensating by hitting his fourth attempt into the rough and the trees. Aussie Lucas Herbert fell victim to its brutality in a tough opening round, hitting the water with his first tee shot, before finding the rough on the right in his second attempt before firing his next into a tree branch.

Min Woo Lee has overcome an untimely leg cramp to charge into early contention at the mega-rich Players Championship in Florida.

“Kept it in play really nicely, made a couple of putts here and there. “I did change something with my putting. It put the puzzle pieces together, and that’s what happened.” But it was just a really well put-together round and stayed in it nicely with the mental game as well. “Wasn’t the best of timing, but I’m happy to get it done and I didn’t actually hit it that bad with the cramp. “At the beginning of the week I thought I had an allergic reaction to the electrolytes I was having.

Lee carded a four-under-par 68 to share fourth place, four strokes behind American clubhouse leader Chad Ramey, midway through the opening round at TPC Sawgrass ...

“Kept it in play really nicely, made a couple of putts here and there. It put the puzzle pieces together, and that’s what happened.” “I did change something with my putting. But it was just a really well put-together round and stayed in it nicely with the mental game as well. “Everything was pretty good, solid off the tee and solid approach play, which is a nice recipe, especially on this course.” Felt like I missed a lot of putts right, so I started lining the ball up, and they started on line, which I thought I was doing without the line.

He reeled off seven birdies and was sitting atop the leaderboard at the PGA Tour's flagship tournament before dropping two shots in his final two holes on ...

"Kept it in play really nicely, made a couple of putts here and there. It put the puzzle pieces together, and that's what happened." "I did change something with my putting. "Wasn't the best of timing, but I'm happy to get it done and I didn't actually hit it that bad with the cramp. "At the beginning of the week I thought I had an allergic reaction to the electrolytes I was having. It was kind of a funny story," Lee said.

Until this week, journeyman Chad Ramey had never before played the Stadium Course at the TPC Sawgrass but certainly found it to his liking, ...

"It's probably about like I thought it would be." "I believe I can beat them," said Ramey who welcomed his first child last week. "It kind of means you care. "Not easy. "I might have made it look that way but it wasn't easy at all. Register for free to Reuters and know the full story

Rory McIlroy went straight from the final green to the driving range after slumping to an opening round of 76 at The Players Championship.

The intimidating sight of Collin Morikawa is looming large in Ramey’s mirrors. “I hit a really good shot out of the pine straw there and didn’t capitalise on that, and making bogey on one and bogey on three … - T6. - T3. - 2. - 1.

The 2023 Players Championship is officially underway with a relatively unknown on top. Chad Ramey fired a bogey free 8-under 64 on Thursday to command the ...

- 11:50 a.m. - 7:56 a.m. - 7:45 a.m. - 7:34 a.m. - 7:23 a.m. - 7:12 a.m. - 7:01 a.m. - 6:50 a.m. All times Eastern Both Scheffler and Rahm look to apply pressure on Ramey with strong Friday showings while McIlroy attempts to climb towards the cutline from 4 over at 12:56 p.m. Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa was terrific in the first round en route to a 7-under 65. Chad Ramey fired a bogey free 8-under 64 on Thursday to command the solo lead.

Collin Morikawa roared out the gates Thursday morning at TPC Sawgrass, firing a bogey free 7-under 65 to sit one stroke off Chad Ramey's lead. Coming into this ...

Spieth got it going on the second nine with one of the filthiest shots of the day on No. got a taste of Spieth's manic way of life (on the course). But interesting to see him point to that when his work on the greens seems to be a more consistent concern in recent weeks. Driving the ball well is almost always a prerequisite to playing good golf at this championship, but that's going to be especially true this time around, it seems. "I feel like this is as penal as I've seen it out of the rough for a long time," said McIlroy. Data Golf noted that Morikawa is one of the best in the world at pairing a great putting week with a great ball-striking week, which is what it looks like he's going to do this week. Lee, who owns the most scintillating mustache in all of sports, shared the lead for a bit before kicking it away with bogeys at the last two holes. This is a microcosm of his wisdom, but add it up over 18 or 72 holes -- and combine it with his ball-striking talent -- and you start to see why he wins so many golf tournaments. On Thursday, Morikawa gained right at a stroke on the greens, but he led the field in iron play and tee-to-green play overall. "I would say, for the most part, I'm back to playing how I used to." The stat that gets cited (that I've cited) during runs of good play like this is his putting prowess. Yet he is not the only young major champion to play himself into the mix at the PGA Tour's flagship event as the reigning Player of the Year has as well.

The Island Green at TPC Sawgrass is an iconic hole. Here's how it became the world's most famous.

Until this week, the journeyman Ramey had never before played the Stadium Course at Florida's TPC Sawgrass, but he certainly found it to his liking.

On a fiery TPC Sawgrass course with treacherous greens, Morikawa went out and shot a bogey-free opening-round 65. His seven-under total left him one shot behind ...

As managing producer for GOLF.com, Cunningham edits, writes and publishes stories on GOLF.com, and manages the brand’s e-newsletters, which reach more than 1.4 million subscribers each month. 8:51 a.m. 8:40 a.m. [PGA Tour Live on ESPN+](https://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/3208296/931309/9070), which will have exclusive coverage beginning at 6:45 a.m. 7:12 a.m. 7:01 a.m. 6:50 a.m. You can stream the second round of the Players Championship via [PGA Tour Live on ESPN+](https://go.web.plus.espn.com/c/3208296/931309/9070) beginning at 6:45 a.m. ET on Friday. Pricing may vary. His seven-under total left him one shot behind first-round leader Chad Ramey. [Rickie Fowler](https://golf.com/news/rickie-fowler-tpc-scottsdales-16th-crowd/) and [Adam Scott](https://golf.com/gear/irons/adam-scott-miura-irons-players-championship/).

World No. 1 golfer Jon Rahm was the favorite to win entering the tournament. It would be Rahm's first TPC title.

The Players Championship will be broadcast on NBC and Golf Channel. 1 Live stream Stream Rahm's fourth PGA Tour win of the season would be his best yet. His highest finish came in 2009, when he tied for ninth. Last year's event was especially unforgiving; he finished tied for 55th. 10 Rahm has yet to win the Players Championship in his career. 1 golfer Jon Rahm entered first-round play as the tournament favorite.

Jon Rahm, who shot a 1-under 71 in the first round at the Players Championship, withdrew from the event Saturday because of a stomach illness.

McIlroy was 4 over after the first round and was in danger of missing the cut. 1 ranking if he finishes in the top five, according to the OWGR. According to the OWGR, McIlroy or Scheffler would move to No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking if he plays well this weekend. [Rory McIlroy](https://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/3470/rory-mcilroy) and [Scottie Scheffler](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9478/scottie-scheffler) for the second straight day. It ended his streak of 10 straight top-10 finishes in worldwide starts and was his worst finish since tying for 55th at the Genesis Scottish Open in July.

Jon Rahm was announced as a late WD ahead of his second round tee time Friday at TPC Sawgrass.

A victory this week would have given Rahm the most wins this early in a tour year since Jack Burke, Jr. Rahm had entered TPC Sawgrass on a heater, winning three times and finishing T-7 or better in six of seven starts this season. 1 player in the world was announced as a late WD ahead of his second round tee time Friday at TPC Sawgrass.

Rahm, the No. 1 golfer in the world, left the field before the start of Round 2 at TPC Sawgrass.

It is still unknown where Rahm will tee it up next, but conventional wisdom would suggest the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in two weeks. Rahm entered the week having won three times already in 2023. The Spaniard opened his Players Championship with a 71 and sat only seven strokes off pace of first-round leader Chad Ramey.

Rahm shot a 1-under 71 on Thursday, finishing seven shots behind leader Chad Ramey. Rahm, 28, has three wins in 2023: The Sentry Tournament of Champions, The ...

2 and 4 players in the world, are in the mix. That’s three of the top five in the world. With wins in three of his six starts in 2023, he entered the week among the favorites.

The Spanish star had opened with a one-under par 71 at Sawgrass and was due to play with second-ranked Scottie Scheffler and third-ranked Rory McIlroy in the ...

You're going to see a few." I'm not going to be the first guy to make a double there. The Spanish star had opened with a one-under par 71 at Sawgrass and was due to play with second-ranked Scottie Scheffler and third-ranked Rory McIlroy in the second round at the Florida course on Friday.

Jon Rahm withdrew from the Players Championship before the start of his second round Friday with an illness, the PGA Tour said.

The new “ [designated events](https://golf.com/news/the-players-meeting-media-mvp-tpc-sawgrass-family-rogers-report/)” format has arrived to much controversy at the Tour, though Rahm took his pre-tournament press conference to voice his support of the changes. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow. [WD’d from the Players Championship](https://twitter.com/jamescolgan26/status/1634246093658632192) due to illness, ending his run at the PGA Tour’s flagship event before the start of his second round. [What channel is the Players Championship on? Now, Rahm will watch from home as the Tour hands out its largest-ever purse at its fourth designated event since debuting the new format. “I haven’t had anybody coming to me disappointed about the changes, but a lot of people don’t like change at first,” Rahm said.

Rahm withdrew before the start of his second round on Friday due to an apparent stomach illness.

If Scheffler finishes in the top five of the tournament, he would overtake Rahm as the top player in the world. The tournament is scheduled to take place from March 22-26 at Austin Country Club. Jon Rahm, the No. His playing partners were Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the No. That looks like a distinct possibility after Scheffler opened with a four-under-par 68 in round one. Because of his withdrawal, there's now a chance Rahm could lose his No.

Will Gordon, Jason Day and Viktor Hovland have also completed 36 holes and are all at 4 under. First-round leader Chad Ramey is early in his second round.

Take a little bit off of it, and then the wind kind of switches more left to right and almost into, and I didn't hit the best of shots, but I thought for sure it was going to be on the green, just a little short right. On Friday he made five birdies and is in contention. Yeah, barely covered, hit the planks and barely stayed on the green, so it was a little too much drama there.” He’s a 4 under and only two shots off the clubhouse lead. 1 had already moved from 112 to 43 in the OWGR and is 20th in FedExCup standings. I'm just happy to be in the position that I'm in to make a charge this weekend and hopefully finish on top.” Hovland said: “When we were standing on 17, the wind was down and off the left, so I just figured I don't even need to hit a full 50-degree. His ball bounced hard off the bulkhead in front of the green, went flying high into the air and ended in the fringe in the back of the green a foot from the water. He was cruising in his second round, standing on the 18th tee 3 under on the day, but he blew his drive on the last hole well right, had to punch out and made double bogey. Ben Griffin is the leader in the clubhouse after shooting 71 in the morning wave Friday at THE PLAYERS. [Rahm WDs Before Round 2](https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/www.pgatour.com/article/news/latest/2023/03/10/jon-rahm-withdraws-from-the-players-championship-due-to-illness-fedexcup-world-no-1__;!!EuSotcx3mN0!PrGp6595726NKLY7d6JYcrkB1iCy_ycbSRKUasPVz7AaXBOqrt4HPHFHoNq_1XpRhYxG3hqcxhW6PwvoPb6i8-Y$): The world No. I'm not going to be the first guy to make a double there,” Griffin said.

Jon Rahm, who shot a 1-under 71 in the first round at the Players Championship, withdrew from the event Saturday because of a stomach illness.

McIlroy was 4 over after the first round and was in danger of missing the cut. 1 ranking if he finishes in the top five, according to the OWGR. According to the OWGR, McIlroy or Scheffler would move to No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking if he plays well this weekend. [Rory McIlroy](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/3470/rory-mcilroy) and [Scottie Scheffler](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9478/scottie-scheffler) for the second straight day. It ended his streak of 10 straight top-10 finishes in worldwide starts and was his worst finish since tying for 55th at the Genesis Scottish Open in July.

Five trips to the water turned into a pair of quintuple bogeys Friday at the Players Championship for Lucas Herbert, who shot an 85.

At No. He previously appeared at the Players in 2022, making the cut but ending in a tie for 68th with a 7-over 295. Playing five from the tee, he hit the rough left, chipped on and two-putted for an 8. Though the conditions were largely favorable for the first two rounds, the course still inflicted a few disasters. According to Players Championship media guide records, Herbert’s 167 is the highest two-round score for a player missing the cut since Mike Brisky shot 170 in 2000. He finished with a second-round 85 to follow his opening 82, a total score of 23 over par.

World number 51 Herbert's opening round was already tough, with a triple bogey on the final hole seeing him card an 10-over 82. His second round at TPC Sawgrass ...

He carded five birdies on the day to go with three bogeys. And his scorecard could have been worse, if not for a birdie on his final hole of the day. Remarkably, it wasn’t the worst round of the day, with American Max McGreevy hitting a 17-over 89. He shot a fine 68 in the first round and backed it up well, moving into third on six-under overall through 15 holes when play was stopped. That included sending another three balls into the water. Luckily, there’s better news for some other Aussies.

First-round leader Chad Ramey, whose quintuple-bogey on the 17th hole cost him a three-shot lead, was among many who struggled at TPC Sawgrass in the second ...

[Will Gordon](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/456548/will-gordon) (67) and the resurgent [Jason Day](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/1680/jason-day) (70), a former world No. The other player who shot 89 was [Michael Campbell](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/67/michael-campbell) in the first round in 2003. That puts his ranking in jeopardy, as [Scottie Scheffler](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9478/scottie-scheffler) and [Rory McIlroy](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/3470/rory-mcilroy) can overtake him. Spieth hit 3-wood to the collar of the green and chipped in for eagle. [Max McGreevy](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/11383/max-mcgreevy), who was 20 shots worse than his opening round. [Ben Griffin](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/440499/ben-griffin) was the clubhouse leader. [Christiaan Bezuidenhout](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9243/christiaan-bezuidenhout) of South Africa and [Adam Svensson](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9127/adam-svensson) of Canada shared the lead at 8-under par, both doing what it takes to stay in front on this course. He was 4 under with eight holes left in his round. [Jon Rahm](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/9780/jon-rahm) missed all of this. [Viktor Hovland](http://www.espn.com/golf/player/_/id/436487/viktor-hovland) was 5 under for his round through 11 holes, even getting a break when his tee shot on the par-3 17th bounced off the wooden frame of the island and onto the green. McIlroy, meanwhile, took a double bogey on the sixth hole and was at 6 over for the tournament. That depends on the pace of play, and some of that depends on Sawgrass.

After a rain delay sent the PGA Tour careening toward yet another Saturday cut, Tour officials addressed another week of slow play.

“We warn them and we time them to keep the rack tight together.” The numbers are the numbers. A 2019 graduate of Syracuse University, James — and evidently, his golf game — is still defrosting from four years in the snow. But those warnings, some of which have resulted in players being placed on the slow play “clock,” haven’t yielded faster playing averages, and they haven’t moved the Tour any closer to reaching a traditional Friday evening cutline. [a considerable competitive advantage](https://golf.com/news/players-championship-frigid-sunday-advantage/) over those in the second wave thanks to that week’s weather. That’s just the way it is. “We try to maximize the starts for our members. The Players was destined for a The caddies moseyed up the fairways, pausing to gaze at the tee box ahead of them, and the one ahead of that. PGA Tour chief referee Gary Young addressed pacing concerns after play was called for the day. This tournament has remained within the historical averages, Young said, even if things have slowed as the day wore on. The weather meant they never had a chance, anyway.