(Scroll down for the most recent updates)

We performed a great recreation of golf. Final week’s Bryson mania on Information Pond in Bay Hill. Jordan Spieth argues nearly each week. Now, golf fanatics can be handled to one of many sport’s most iconic venues, TPC Sawgrass, which has been residence to The Gamers since 1982, when Pete Dye’s treacherous and ruthless design was inaugurated.

Listed below are the featured teams Thursday: Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland (7:29 am, on the tenth gap) and Rory McIlroy, Webb Simpson and Sergio Garcia (7:40 am, on the tenth gap) within the morning; and within the afternoon: Jordan Spieth, Jon Rahm and Patrick Reed (12:49 p.m., off the primary gap) and Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa (1 p.m., off # 1).

Dwell participant updates (at all times east):

9:07 am: Among the best rounds of the early morning got here from Lee Westwood, who hit each inexperienced by means of eight holes – and apart from a three-putt bogey on the quick par-4 fourth gap, has performed very stable golf thus far. .

The 47-year-old Englishman got here so near his largest win in the USA final week at Bay Hill. This can be the week of Westy’s final struggle. (WLS, anybody?)

8:55 am: We nonetheless have a co-lead right here at TPC Sawgrass, however Phil Mickelson is not there. Matthew Fitzpatrick birdies the primary and third holes, inserting him 2-3 below, becoming a member of Sebastian Munoz on the high. Phil didn’t get on and off after a nasty tee shot on the seventh gap, so he fell again to at least one out of the top.

Phil stays seven behind compatriot Tony Finau, who simply added his fourth bogey of the day – to go along with a double opening bogey. Finau is maintaining tempo with Kyle Stanley for DFL proper now … superior!

Rory McIlroy makes a visit to city three jacks on the thirteenth par 3 gap, having a 24-foot birdie – he misses a four-foot par and comes away with a scarecrow. The Northern Irishman is now 3 factors by means of his first 4 holes.

Munoz had performed very nicely on the finish of final season, culminating in a T-17 on the Masters in his first look. However the 2020 Sanderson Farms winner hasn’t completed within the high 20 in an open area occasion for the reason that Masters. He is off to a great begin thus far in his first look at TPC Sawgrass (not counting final yr).

8:37 am: We blamed Phil saying he had hit all of the greens as far as his 6-way fairway strategy was simply too quick. However Phil makes the chip appear routine, nearly the hole for a straightforward par to remain forward by himself at 2 pennies.

Elsewhere, Viktor Hovland recovered one after this uncommon scenario with a call at No.11 resulting in a brace. The younger Norwegian birdies the quick twelfth gap par-4 to come back again to 1-over.

Within the group behind, Rory McIlroy additionally had an opportunity to make up for his early double bogey with a birdie within the twelfth, however his 12-foot birdie putt by no means actually scared the opening. Rory stays at 2 out, now at 3.

A minimum of Rory has this going for him:

8:24 am: Phil Mickelson stays within the lead (very early) with a par on the fourth gap. He is now seven strokes forward of Tony Finau, who had a nightmarish begin with three bogeys and a gap double. Even Charles Howell III, the third participant within the group, has 1 penny and 6 on Large Tone …

Mickelson, who gained the 2007 Gamers, hasn’t seen the weekend at TPC Sawgrass since 2012, so it is likely to be a shock if he performed so early. He is hit all of the greens within the rulebook thus far and solely missed one fairway. Who is that this man?

Rory McIlroy stays 2-over, failing to birdie the eleventh par-5 gap after his opening double bogey. And Patrick Cantlay, a preferred alternative with some, is 1-over after two holes and has had a rights case off the tee thus far.

There are just a few notable below par names thus far: Paul Casey birdieed the tenth par 4; Matthew Fitzpatrick, Max Homa and Carlos Ortiz began their rounds with birdies at No.1. And Keegan Bradley, who performed final week at Bay Hill, birdied the second gap par 5 to go 1 below early. He has completed within the high 15 in his final two begins at TPC Sawgrass.

8:10 am: We’re a bit late as Viktor Hovland’s second shot on the eleventh par 5 entered the water hazard. The PGA Tour Dwell video clearly confirmed his ball hitting the grass simply in entrance of the water earlier than coming again into the hazard. Hovland contender Patrick Cantlay suggests he get a ruling – and the foundations supervisor has really recommended that Hovland ought to return previous the water hazard. Luckily, individuals on the court docket knowledgeable the foundations supervisor that the video clearly confirmed Hovland’s ball masking the hazard. A really unusual scene to start out the day for this group.

Hovland’s journey nonetheless led to a double bogey, as his fourth shot after the drop went over the inexperienced, and he could not come again for bogey. Hopefully the 23-year-old can shake off this unlucky departure.

7:58 am: It was a busy early morning at TPC Sawgrass! Now we have a 50-year-old in thoughts, as Phil Mickelson had his first two holes. In his identical group, Tony Finau, who has been probably the greatest gamers on the earth, opened with double bogey-bogey, so Phil is 5 photographs forward of his taking part in companion.

Rory McIlroy’s opening tee shot on the tenth gap with a fairway wooden went nicely, forcing him to take an unplayable together with his ball towards a tree (he hit a provisional however finally discovered it). He was going to should hit and find yourself doing a double bogey in the beginning.

And Ian Poulter additionally went on an early journey at No.10, making an early double bogey: