Friday 8 May 2015 12:12, UK
Charley Hoffman overcame a mid-round stutter to earn a share of the lead after a first day of excellent scoring in the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass.
The in-form Hoffman, who enjoyed an excellent week at the Masters last month, raced out of the blocks with a five-birdie back nine after starting at the 10th before giving three shots back with a horror show at the first.
But he recovered with further birdies at two of the next three holes, and he rolled in a 12-foot putt for another at the ninth to match the earlier five-under 67s of early pace-setter Hideki Matsuyama and Canada's David Hearn.
Kevin Na, playing in the last group out, rolled in his sixth birdie of the day at the ninth to make it a four-way share of the lead, but playing partner Derek Fathauer missed his birdie chance from seven feet and had to settle for a 68 having earlier vaulted into the outright lead in some style.
The 29-year-old eagled the second, birdied the third and then holed a 130-yard wedge for his second eagle in three holes, but he then gave both shots back at the fifth and seventh.
Royr McIlroy is just two off the lead following a solid 69, but Tiger Woods (73) and Masters champion Jordan Spieth (75) both face a battle to make the cut after struggling on a day when 59 of the 144-man field broke par.
Matsuyama set the early clubhouse target after carding six birdies and just one dropped shot, while Hearn got up and running with an eagle at the 11th - his second - and birdied two of his last three holes.
The leaders have a one-shot advantage over six Americans on four under, including Fathauer and last season's FedExCup champion Billy Horschel, while McIlroy and defending champion Martin Kaymer are among a group of 14 players who opened with 69s.
Steady start for McIlroy
McIlroy also started at the 10th and broke a run of five pars with a birdie at 15 before converting a superb 205-yard second to six feet for an eagle at the next.
The world No 1 recorded his only bogey of the round at the first, but he got it back with a confident birdie putt at the eighth and parred his last to match the earlier 69 of Rickie Fowler, who reached six under with four birdies in five holes around the turn.
But Fowler made a mess of the short third and ran up a double-bogey five, and his tee shot at the ninth found water and the resulting six took further gloss off his excellent earlier work.
Kaymer, Jason Day and Sergio Garcia are also in the vast group at three under, while 2010 Open champion Louis Oosthuizen was one further adrift after dropping three shots at the final two holes - one of many to find a watery grave at the notorious 17th.
World No 2 Spieth played the first 58 holes without a bogey on the Stadium Course last season, but he started this year's tournament with dropped shots at his first two holes and stumbled to a 75 which he admitted could have been several shots worse had he not been in good form on the greens.
Woods was also battling his swing for much of the round and carved his tee shot to the eighth into water in an outward 37, although he did manage to get under the card with birdies at 14, 15 and 17 only to pull his drive at the last into the lake as he closed with a double-bogey six.
"(That was) probably the highest score I could have shot today," said Woods, who was over par in the first round for the fifth consecutive event.
"I didn't get much out of that round. I hit the ball better than the score indicates, and I got a couple good breaks and never took advantage of them.
"I just really struggled hitting the putts hard enough to get them to the hole. Even when I tried to ram them, I still didn't get the ball to the hole, so I need to make a better adjustment on that."
Live coverage of the second round begins Friday at 6pm on Sky Sports 4, and you can watch the featured group of Woods, Kaymer and Scott on the red button and the iPad app from 1.39pm.
