Chad Ramey led the field Thursday, March 9, with 64 (-8). He is one of 32 players making their tournament debut at this year’s PLAYERS. No first-timer has held the 18-hole lead in the event since Mackenzie Hughes in 2017.
Ramey and Collin Morikawa, with 65 (-7), were the only two players in the field without a bogey or worse in the first round.
Next was Taylor Pendrith at 67 (-5), Ben Griffin at 67 (-5) and Justin Suh, who was -5 through No. 15 when play stopped. Round One resumed Friday at 7:40 a.m.
Round two began Friday at 6:50 a.m.
Here are some statistical notes provided by THE PLAYERS Championship:
- Five of the 11 players T6 or better are first-timers at THE PLAYERS Championship.
- Fifteen first-round leaders or co-leaders have won THE PLAYERS Championship, the most recent being Webb Simpson in 2018.
- Ramey was the 11th player to shoot 64 or better in the first round on record (since 1983). He was the first since Jason Day in 2016 (with 63). Four of the previous 10 went on to win the tournament.
- Collin Morikawa is seeking his sixth win on the PGA TOUR. His last win was the 2021 Open Championship.
- Taylor Pendrith (T3) opened with 5-under 67, his low 18-hole score in the event. He is making his second appearance at THE PLAYERS Championship and finished T13 in 2022.
- Ben Griffin (T3) in his PLAYERS debut birdied his last three holes (Nos. 7-9) on his way to 5-under 67.
- Justin Suh (T3) birdied five holes in a six-hole stretch (Nos. 7-12) and was at 5-under through 15 holes.
- World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler (T6) in his third start at THE PLAYERS carded 68 to match his low round at this event.
- FedExCup leader and World No. 1 Jon Rahm, seeking his fourth win of the season, opened with 1-under 71 and was at T32. Rahm entered the week having finished in the top 10 in six of his last seven starts on the PGA TOUR.
- 2019 PLAYERS champion and World No. 3 Rory McIlroy shot 4-over 76 and was at T118. It is his highest 18-hole score since shooting 76 in the final round of the 2022 Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard.
- Hayden Buckley (+1/T72) made a hole-in-one on the par-3 17th with a pitching wedge from 125 yards. He became the first player since 1983 to record a hole-in-one at No. 17 and a birdie at No. 18 in the same round at THE PLAYERS.
Eighteen balls went into the water at No. 17 Thursday, slightly more than the average of 17.05 since 2003.
