by Chad Ramey managed to avoid stress and bogeymanship on Thursday in the 8-Under 64 Players’ Championship, making him an unlikely leader on the TPC Sawgrass field that rarely fails.
Ramey had a one-time advantage over two-time major champion Collin Morikawa in mild conditions. About half the field was equal or better.
That’s not to say it wasn’t dramatic.
Hayden Buckley scored an ace on the famous green isles on the 17th hole he had only seen on TV until he arrived this week for his Players Championship debut.
Aaron Wise conceded four balls in a span of two holes – in Water 17, followed by three straight tees into a drink to the left of fairway 18, where he finished with a 10, one short of the record for the highest score for a closing hole.
Chad Ramey (right) and his caddy watch a shot on the 12th fairway during a no bogey day
The little-known Ramey will hope to keep his surprising place at the top of the leaderboard
Rory McIlroy hit his highest score in just over a year. The 2019 Players Champion opened with 6, closed with 6 and was pretty ordinary in between en route to 76.
Ramey had no such problems, betting birdies on all but two holes in somewhat calmer morning conditions.
“I could have made it look like that, but it wasn’t easy at all,” Ramey said. ‘It was fun. It’s the first time I’ve scored on a field as iconic as this. You can’t ask for anything more.
Ramey qualified for his first Players’ Championship with a win in the Dominican Republic last year against a weak opponent played opposite Dell Match Play.
He believes that he should and can beat anyone, even the strongest competitor this year. His record did not indicate that, even after the victory. In his 28 starts since then, Ramey has missed 18 cuts and has not finished in the top 20 in other tournaments.
“The game felt really close,” Ramey said. “I know the results didn’t show it, but I felt it was really close. I’ve only made one small tweak to my swing and it seems to be really paying off. I sort of hit the ball where I was looking most of the day and then as soon as I got out of position I did a pretty good job coming back.
Morikawa missed two cuts in his last three starts, a rarity for him, and spent extra time on his days off trying to find the fading that led him to such early success. He thinks he swings it just as well now as he did a few years ago.
It was a day to forget for Rory McIlroy as he fired his worst round in a year: four over par
One of the most anticipated tournaments of the year gathered huge crowds
His signature shot was a 4-iron on 3-foot eagle on the second hole of par-5, his 11th day of the day, and fell during an 8-hole stretch he played with a 6-under par. Morikawa also played without bogey, a key on a course that can strike without notice.
“The game feels really good and I’m going to take advantage of that for the next few days and just use that momentum to hopefully play three more really good rounds,” he said.
Taylor Pendrith and Ben Griffin were 67 while Justin Suh was also 5-under and had three holes left before darkness suspended play.
Scottie Scheffler led the group at 68. He was part of a tent group that included three of the best players in the world – Jon Rahm in first place at 71 and McIlroy in 3rd. Everyone has a chance to finish in first place even without a win.
Other than that, it was an eclectic mix of players aged 69 or over, which is not unusual for the Players Stadium Course. This ranged from rookies like Ramey and Min Woo Lee to major champions like Scheffler and Justin Rose (69) and Jordan Spieth (69).
Spieth almost won The Players on his debut in 2014, losing to Martin Kaymer. He has missed five of his last seven appearances.
“It’s one of those places where many times I felt like I was playing really well and then I look at the board here and think, ‘Huh.’ I’m not even in the top ten.” That’s what this tournament was like for me,” he said.
Collin Morikawa is chasing his American rival Ramey just one shot in the back in seven under
Xander Schauffele was runner-up on his debut (four shots from behind) and then missed his next three appearances. He looked like he was heading for another early departure when he was 4 years old for 10 holes and had only three pair on his card. But he followed the eagle on the 11th and added three other birdies to get back to 72.
The 17th hole had a front pin not usually seen until Saturday’s round, and it provided plenty of excitement, good and bad. Buckley threw his cap into the air after his ball rolled down the slope into the cup.
Kelly Kraft hit two in the water en route to a quadruple-bogey 7. He had an 80, one of four players to hit 80 or more. The weather conditions did not justify such a result. The nature of the course allows it almost every year.
“You just don’t have a lot of holes to sort of float,” Sam Burns said after his 68th. “Here, every shot gets your attention.”
