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Jason Day’s double bogey at the 18th this morning, cost the Australian The Players Championship lead at TPC Sawgrass in Florida.
Day fired in a first round 69 that included six birdies, a bogey, and the disastrous double in the marquee group with world number one and two – Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth.
They promised fireworks with McIlroy also carding a 69 with an eagle, two birdies,and a bogey, but Spieth pooped the party with a 75 that included just three birdies, and five bogeys.
Another marquee group featured Adam Scott, defending champion Martin Kaymer, and a two-time former champion, now world 116 – Tiger Woods.
Scott was ordinary for his 72 where a double at the last wrecked his card, Woods kept hitting into the woods and the rough far left off the tee, to also finish with a final hole double for a 73, while Kaymer was far more consistent for his 69 with five birdies and two bogeys.
The best of the nine Australians were Day and the under-rated Marc Leishman with 69s, Robert Allenby in a return-to-form 70, Geoff Ogilvy shot a par 72, John Senden 73, Matt Jones 75, Steve Bowditch 77, and Aaron Baddeley 78,
There are four on top of the leaderboard with 67s after the opening round – Hideki Matsuyama, David Hearn, Charley Hoffman, and Kevin Na.
Playing superb golf, Hoffman made only one mistake among his eight birdies with a triple bogey at the first – his 10th hole.
On 68 is Derek Fathauer with five others, but he was the standout with eagle, birdie, eagle from the second to the fourth hole.
There are 14 on 69 with Day, McIlroy, Leishman, Kaymer, Steve Stricker, Rickie Fowler, and Sergio Garcia among them.
Other notables – Jim Furyk, Louis Oosthuizen, and JB Holmes on 70, Vijay Singh, Ian Poulter, Charl Schwartzel, and Justin Rose on 71, Phil Mickelson 73, and Lee Westwood 77.
The picturesque 17th island hole made its presence felt.
In last year’s tournament 24 found a watery grave, but today in the opening round 22 were wet.
American Brooks Koepka was the chief beneficiary with two in the drink on his way to a quadruple bogey seven.
The hole is unforgiving.