Friday 12 May 2017 20:02, UK
Golf's big names were left in the shade on the opening day of The Players Championship as William McGirt and Mackenzie Hughes ended the round tied for the lead.
Defending champion Jason Day and 2015 winner Rickie Fowler both faltered late in their rounds after encouraging starts, while another former champion, Adam Scott, appeared certain to claim the outright lead until he double-bogeyed the final two holes.
Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy, the world's top two players, were both out of sorts as was Masters champion Sergio Garcia, although the Spaniard produced the outstanding highlight when he became only the eighth player in Sawgrass history to make a hole-in-one at the infamous 17th.
Day leapt to the top of the leaderboard when he covered the back nine in 33 and then holed a huge 66-foot putt for his fourth birdie of the day at the first, which he followed with another at the long second.
But the Australian, who has not won since cruising to a four-shot victory at TPC Sawgrass 12 months ago, bogeyed three of his last four holes to slip to two under alongside playing partner Fowler, who got off to a lightning start when he reeled off three straight birdies from the 11th - his second.
Fowler picked up another at the 16th, but he dropped his first shot of the day at the fourth and then ran up a double-bogey six at the sixth when he blocked a wedge from the fairway, his ball clipping a tree and taking a big bounce off a cart path and into deep trouble.
The American did hit back with a birdie at the ninth to get back to two under with Day and another former winner in Phil Mickelson, which left them trailing McGirt by three strokes after the morning session concluded.
McGirt cruised to the turn in 33 and followed a bogey at 10 with a remarkable 55-foot putt for eagle at the 11th, and he leapt to the top of the leaderboard with another eagle at 16 after knocking a superb second to 10 feet.
He bogeyed the last to take a little gloss off his day, and his lead was rarely threatened until Scott made back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15 to hit the front on six under par.
But the Australian came up short with his tee shot at the 17th moments after Garcia had sent the crowd into raptures with his ace, and Scott pulled his second from the rough into water again at the last as he dropped four shots in two holes.
Hughes was the only player among the later starters to hang on to a share of the lead down the stretch, the Canadian making five birdies and managing to keep a bogey off his card in a commendable debut in the event.
Alex Noren, a prolific four-time winner on the European Tour last season, birdied his final hole to cap a flawless 68 to join Ryder Cup star JB Holmes on four under, a score later matched by exciting young Spaniard Jon Rahm.
Johnson, bidding for a fourth victory in five starts after his winning streak ended with a runner-up finish at the Wells Fargo Championship last weekend, made an eagle at the 16th to salvage a one-under 71 which also included two birdies and three dropped shots.
McIlroy turned at level par but plummeted down the leaderboard with double-bogeys at the 10th and 14th, but he gave himself encouragement for the second round as birdies at 16 and 18 got him back to one over par alongside Augusta hero Garcia, who did well to shoot 73 after being four over for his first six holes.
