PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – With a record seven Canadians in the field at The Players Championship this week the overwhelming thought was, well, it would make total sense to see one of them contend in a big-time event.
Cue Nick Taylor.
Taylor, the four-time PGA Tour winner, shot a 6-under 66 Thursday morning at TPC Sawgrass and is just one back of the lead held by Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele, and Wyndham Clark.
Play was suspended due to darkness at 7:32 p.m. ET.
Taylor started on the back nine and made four birdies in a six-hole stretch, with another birdie try on the par-4 15th just sliding by. The native of Abbotsford, B.C. added another birdie on the par-5 2nd and hung on through the balance of his opening round with just-missed birdie attempts on Nos. 5 and 9.
Taylor’s early scoring effort was his lowest career round at The Players.
“The iron game was very sharp that first nine, the putter was solid, and I was able to take advantage of the short approaches. And the second nine I made some good par putts to keep it going. It’s probably the tougher nine, that front nine, so birding three of the four par fives was definitely key,” Taylor told Sportsnet. “Overall, it was really sharp today which is nice.”
With 14 of the previous 16 Players Championship winners coming from the group that played early Thursday (and late Friday), it wasn’t a surprise to see plenty of the game’s best get off to quick starts. The general consensus was that the golf course was playing softer than in years’ previous and with sparkling skies and barely-there winds, it was a day ripe for scoring.
“The practice rounds, the course was soft, so you were kind of expecting that (same condition) this morning which it was, but I think it’s only going to get tougher,” Taylor said. “So, to be able to take advantage of feeling pretty good, swinging it freely and making some putts was important because it’s only going to get tougher. Having a few in the bank was nice.”
Taylor, who won the WM Phoenix Open earlier this year, told Sportsnet before The Players Championship that the next logical step would be for this group of Canadians to start contending at this kind of event – on a big stage with an impressive field. Taylor said his confidence, with one round in the books, is high.
“It’s nice coming to tough golf courses and performing well and everything clicking, which is good,” Taylor said.
In order to win this week, though, Taylor’s going to have to beat the PGA Tour’s best including McIlroy, who turned a corner with his ball-striking Thursday. After a poor showing Sunday at the Arnold Palmer Invitational where he shot 4-over 76, McIlroy spent upwards of five hours on the driving range Monday at TPC Sawgrass working through a few “feel” things and it translated – he was second in strokes gained: approach the green.
And that’s even after putting two balls in the water Thursday.
“It would be nice to shoot 62 and not have two in the water, I guess,” McIlroy said with a laugh. “I think it goes back to I didn’t have many expectations going out there today because I was like, ‘OK, feels good on the range and feels good in practice, but let’s see how it is when you’ve got a card in your hand.”
The round was not without controversy, however, as McIlroy had an animated rules discussion about where he dropped on No. 7 after hitting his tee ball in the water (en route to a double bogey). McIlroy and his playing partners – Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth – spent upwards of 10 minutes debating where his ball crossed into the hazard.
Hovland (1-over 73) and Spieth (2-over 74) did not speak with media after their rounds.
“I think Jordan was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing. I mean, I was pretty sure that my ball had crossed where I was sort of dropping it. It’s so hard, right, because there was no TV evidence. I was adamant,” McIlroy said. “If anything, I was being conservative with it. I think at the end of the day we’re all trying to protect ourselves, protect the field as well.”
Controversy aside, McIlroy (and Schauffele and Clark, top-10 ranked golfers in the world, both) have the early advantage at The Players. But Nick Taylor seems to be feeling comfortable enough near the top of PGA Tour events, too, and is eager for a solid showing.
“Everything was good today,” Taylor said.
Ben Silverman of Thornhill, Ont. shot an even-par 72 in his Players Championship debut. Taylor Pendrith and Adam Hadwin both struggled to 3-over 75s. Hadwin hit his tee shot on the iconic par-3 17th island green into the water leading to a double bogey, and then hit his second shot into 18 in the water, again, leading to an impressive club toss.
Mackenzie Hughes shot a 2-under 70 while Adam Svensson shot a 2-over 74.
Corey Conners went birdie-eagle-birdie to open his round, just the second golfer since 2003 (when they began tracking) to have such a low starting stretch. Conners made a costly double bogey on the par-4 5th after fluffing his greenside chip and advancing it just one inch and ended up with a 4-under 68. He sits tied for 13th after Thursday and told Sportsnet he’ll look for another low one in what should be calmer morning conditions on Friday