PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The first round of the Players Championship finally concluded on Saturday afternoon, 54 hours and 16 minutes after it kicked off on Thursday morning.
But the show had only just begun.
The cold front which finally evacuated the storm cells responsible for more than nine hours of interruption in recent days has instead set up violent gusts, whose peaks sometimes reached 70 km / h. Appalling playing conditions, especially for an intimidating terrain even when these are favourable.
It was particularly striking on the legendary 17th hole, a par-3. During the first two days, marked by rain, only four golfers had missed the green and sent their ball into the water. That total was matched after the first four entrants on Saturday, when activities resumed.
The gusts died down and Scottie Scheffler hit his ball too far. Another powerful shot made Xander Schauffele’s ball look like it had hit a wall. She eventually fell 15 yards in front of the green. Brooks Koepka joined in the fun. In the next group, Collin Morikawa lost his ball in the water.
Still, Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge shared the lead by virtue of their identical cards of 66 (minus-6), recorded on Thursday. Brice Garnett was the only golfer at 67 who finished his first round on Saturday. He came close to accomplishing a remarkable feat, but a bogey on the seventh hole, his 16th, prevented it.
Canadian Taylor Pendrith posted a 68 in the first round and was scheduled to start his second round around 7:01 p.m. This departure will probably be postponed to Sunday morning.
Fellow Canadian Corey Conners shot 70 and was due to make his second start around 6:28 p.m. Saturday. For his part, Adam Hadwin played par (72) in the first round and had negotiated a few holes in the second round. For their part, representatives of the maple leaf Roger Sloan (plus-1) and Mackenzie Hughes (plus-4) are above par.
The average score was 71.9, inflated by the rounds that took place Saturday morning. Conditions worsened in the afternoon for the second round, which began immediately after the conclusion of the first.
The course managers left the pennants in the most easily accessible places in order to compensate for the deplorable playing conditions. However, they could not do anything on the 17th, whose green is located on an island surrounded by water where many balls sank.
The rest of the tournament should take place in dry weather, fortunately. The qualifying threshold for the weekend rounds will be established on Sunday. Some golfers who had completed their round on Thursday will likely have to return to action three days later. The Players Championship is set to end on Monday for the first time since 2005.
