The opening round of The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday saw Chad Ramey, a 30-year-old from Mississippi, take the lead with a bogey-free 64, his first appearance in the championship.
Ramey’s score was 8-under, a shot ahead of two-time major winner Collin Morikawa, with Taylor Pendrith and Ben Griffin following by three shots. Justin Suh was the closest player to the lead who hadn’t completed his round, scoring 5-under through 15 holes.
Ramey reflected on the nerves he felt playing in the tournament, and said the recent birth of his son Nolan may have helped him remain calm. Meanwhile, Morikawa, who struggled at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, expressed his confidence and satisfaction with his performance on Thursday. T
he world’s top-ranked player Jon Rahm and No. 2 Scottie Scheffler shot 71 and 68, respectively, while No. 3 Rory McIlroy struggled to a 4-over 76.
Pendrith, who hit all 14 fairways, and Griffin, who played in the afternoon in challenging conditions, both scored well. Scheffler noted the importance of driving well on the course and said that while the scores may fluctuate, the course can be difficult.
The first round was suspended due to darkness, with 21 players yet to complete their rounds.
»Chad Ramey takes lead in first round of Players Championship«
↯↯↯Read More On The Topic On TDPel Media ↯↯↯