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RORY MCILROY OPENED with a stunning 65 to climb to the top of the leaderboard alongside Xander Schauffele and reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark in the opening round of the Players Championship in TPC Sawgrass.
McIlroy started on the back nine and got off to a brilliant start with three birdies in-a-row before adding three more between the 14th and 17th holes. He dropped a shot on the 18th after finding water but recovered with three more birdies on the turn at the second, fourth and sixth holes.
He hit the water again on the seventh, where there was an almost eight-minute discussion between McIlroy and the other players in his group, Jordan Spieth and Viktor Hovland, about where McIlroy’s ball entered the water before play resumed.
McIlroy went on to make double-bogey before finishing the day with a par on the eighth and a birdie on the ninth.
“I think Jordan [Spieth] was just trying to make sure that I was doing the right thing,” McIlroy told reporters after the round.
“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.
“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.
“I was adamant, but I guess I started to doubt myself a little bit. I was like, ‘OK, did I actually see what I thought I saw?’. It is a bit of a [television] blind spot. I think the best view was from the tee, which was the view that we had.”
Hovland and Spieth chose not to speak to the media after rounds of 73 and 74 respectively, but McIlroy — who faced a similar drop situation on the 18th — was asked if everyone in the group had been comfortable with the outcome.
“I think so, yeah,” McIlroy added. “I’m comfortable. I think that’s the most important thing.
“I feel like I’m one of the most conscientious golfers out here, so if I feel like I’ve done something wrong, it’ll play on my conscience for the rest of the tournament.
“I’m a big believer in karma and if you do something wrong, I feel like it’s going to come around and bite you at some point.
“I obviously don’t try to do anything wrong out there, and play by the rules and do the right thing. I feel like I obviously did that those two drops.”
Schauffele fired a bogey-free, seven-under-par 65 to stand level with McIlroy and Clark, who birdied three of the last four holes at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
“It’s always nice to go bogey-free round at Sawgrass,” Schauffele said after his lowest-ever round at the famed course. “Just got a couple good breaks, made a couple of nice putts and all in all a good start.”
The 30-year-old American, who hasn’t won since the 2022 Scottish Open, found nine of 14 fairways in his first bogey-free round of 15 at the Players.
“The bogeys, or the scares of a bogey, come when you miss the fairways,” Schauffele said. “The rough is pretty thick. Shockingly thick in some cases. You’ve just got to keep it on the short grass.”
Fifth-ranked Clark, who won last month at Pebble Beach, birdied four of the first seven holes despite his lone bogey at the fourth then closed strong to share the lead with birdie putts of 20 feet at 15, three feet at the par-5 16th and 14 feet at the famed par-3 17th island hole.
“It wasn’t the best irons I’ve ever hit but I had a lot of control over the ball. I was putting the ball in the spots you needed to be and I just plodded my way around the course,” Clark said.
“Overall really solid day and something to build on.”
There were nine golfers still on the course when play was suspended for darkness, none with more than three holes to finish. American Jimmy Stanger was best at 5-under and putting for par on his penultimate hole.
New Zealand’s Ryan Fox had the first back-to-back eagles in Players history — an eagle at 16 and an ace at 17 on the way to a 69.
“It was a nice gap wedge,” Fox said of his ace. “I was pretty chuffed to look up and see it going down the flag. A little bit of luck for it to come down the slope and go back in, but I’m certainly not complaining. It’s such an iconic hole.”
England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, the 2022 US Open champion, and Canadian Nick Taylor shared third on 66 with top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler another shot adrift.
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry finished the day tied for 56th on one under par, while fellow Irish star Seamus Power was a further shot adrift, opening with a 72 to leave him tied for 76th.
– Additional reporting by Press Association and AFP
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Written by Sinead Farrell and posted on the42.ie
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Support the working “middle”.
@rb: that wud make too much sense
@rb: what about the working poor
@Willie Marty: Personally, I think it’s as long as you are working….but the working poor can get some form of social welfare, as bad as it is. Some of the working middle are entitled to nothing at all. I know of one family that springs to mind where the wife had to leave work to take care of her infirm Mother, but because her husband earns barely over the threshold, she is entitled to niether care’s allowance or dole, regardless of the PRSI contributions made.
@Willie Marty: yep
@Joe x: I earn 36k. I am entitled to nothing from welfare.
Last budget I got nothing while middle and higher earners got tax cuts and low(er) income earners got higher supports.
I pay PAYE and prsi too. Can I not get something too please
@: I’m not going to argue with you. The only reason I know about that family is because we work together at the same level, so I know what would happen to me if I was in his position. Are you saying there are now 4 tiers? Remember, the wage we earned was barely above the threshold for his wife to be refused,
@Joe x: I know what you mean. I care for my disabled child and my husband got a €20 per week raise, when I let the carers office know about this as I am legally required to, they reduced my payment by €20! Carers allowance should not be means tested on a partners salary. It’s hard and isolating work that saves the state millions and some carers are entitled to nothing.
FFG OUT
I’m a middle earner what tax cuts did we get last year.
Seriously what is the story with journal closing all comments ?
I think ppl need to be very open minded and think about the msm approach to what happened in Israel !!
The most prepared nation in the world for immediate war, with sensor detection systems that can pick up under ground movements, and overground with thermal, night capability and motion detection cameras, misses hundreds of fighters from an organisation which its intelligence services have infiltrated at all levels misses an attack of this size ??
Also happens to be excellent timing for the Israeli PM who is under massive internal pressure while trying to force through legislation against the judiciary and mass public protest. War suits him
I condemn the violence on both sides but I find it hard that Israel misses this !
@R B: it is odd. How (why) did the Israelis not pick this up? But regarding the journal closing comments, why leave them open, given the nature and quality of some of the posts which merely serve to reduce the site to platform for the worst kind of ill informed hate fuelled drivel? Let them use the tabloid sites or social media, the new MSM pushing radically conservative views.
@R B: The media is the Enemy of the People – Donald Trump
Dictator go to 101
@R B: Israel needs an enemy, always has, it’s got so many internal warring factions. During the 2nd intifada this was a well stated dilemma, seems not much has changed. Anyway, regardless of how it was put together a right wing fascist govt was always going to instill a response at some stage. The final death tolls will not bode well for the people of Gaza. I fear for them.
@R B: We thank your great publications for their continued support in our efforts.
“By way of deception, thou shalt do war.”
I have nothing but contempt for these people.
Wasters, living on the dole and SW. Well able to work but couldn’t be arrsed. My tax dollars funding their lifestyle. You’re right mate, nothing but contempt.
@If you’re: except we use euro in this country and also, id happily pay for the wasters on the dole as u call them then fund the lifestyles of the likes of RTE management, spend another cent on the HSE budget while its management continue to flush 24 billion down the toilet with very little in return every year or pay the likes of the management of CIE massive wages while we cant even get decent public transport to large parts of the country……but ya its all the dole heads fault
Paschal with the can of coke…….he must have been on the razz whilst watching the game last night!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Coke Zero – not much help for a hangover.
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: Leo walking very funny too
They have already taken about 2000e per person off us this year so to give a 1000e back is supposed to be a good thing. Year after year it’s the same crap, they only feather their own nest.
It will be a Give a little Take a little budget. October 2024 will see an election budget.
@Garreth Byrne: if they last that long! The Greens are becoming disgruntled because they see the writing on the wall for them. All while FFG are trying to survive a voter cull due to the austere & contemptuous treatment of hard working people of this country! My message to the government is as a married man in his forties working 100+ hours a week single income to provide for my family due to the excessive taxes & lack of cost regulation is remember the dole leeches don’t vote in droves! The social contributors do ( workers, squeezed middle ) & our day is coming.
FFG have a shocking disregard for us . If you work in Ireland your screwed. If your a pensioner you are also screwed.
I would prefer to see the pitiful few euros they throw to us to be amalgamated and for pensioners to get an extra €50 pw
Is there anything for single people earning between 27 to 37k a year ??
@zy: just like last year, No
@zy: not a tosser
@zy: a few bob towards you’re electric bill for a while and take it back off you with extra through tax increase on fuel indefinitely,in one hand out the other and empty whatever else is in you’re pockets aswel,cheers ffg
@zy: not a hope, single people are almost forgotten in Ireland when it comes to most things…..
A lot of our money going toward Ukrain as one fifth of their country occupied by Russia meanwhile our government supports Israel who murdered hundreds in the Gaza Strip same as they supported British murders in the north of our country,
@Fran Riley: We also let the US ship all the weapons they sell to Israel though our airspace and some stop over in Shannon. All US flights carrying weapons should be refused entry to Irish airspace.
As much as they say only certain things can be done it depends where they put those certain supports. I have not seen much talk of carers or oap allowence going up just universal welfare payments. Middle class again will be left with the bare minimum after all is said and done. Just seen there will or may be allowences for businesses to offset minimum wage increase which is wrong I work for a small business and it is thriving and can well afford to absorb the cost it should be based on net yearly profit. Just don’t get some of the decisions of the gov. They always say you can’t please everyone and they have screwed us middle class for years on budget so how about screwing someone else for once and appease us.
@Karl Pilkington: some won’t even be getting that I heard of a company saying they’d be letting people go and reducing hours and they’re making plenty of it of course,greed and more greed naturally.
Support the people paying tax who earn under 30k
@Shane O Mac: exactly 100% they’re hung out to dry and work in most common jobs needed shops etc just getting by by the skin of they’re teeth as usual.
Great lads have an owl chat and head to the dail bar,don’t even worry bout paying for the drink never has been,living the dream would closely describe they’re lives mega salaries and no responsibility if anything goes wrong a lump sum and pension regardless,something else
FREE GAZA
Keep the few euros and build house’s maybe shorten the time for operations,
Get enough student school bus seats,
reduced the price of fuel.
Try and keep our youth at home.
All seem reasonable requests.
Wonder what’s driving the population growth…
@damien leen: don’t think it’s child birth rate as that’s dropping according to statistics,possibly due to people unable to afford homes to raise them in perhaps?then again that’s probably nonsense there’s hardly a housing crisis going on if there was I’d imagine it’d be taken seriously and an influx of people arriving would at least be slowed down to control it somewhat to meet demand for everyone’s benefit,buts that’s pure nonsense I suppose
@damien leen: the ones who know how to scalp the system
As with all governments past now and future they continue to look at the now and let the inherent inequalities continue its absolutely incredible that your a euro over the means test for carers allowance you are rejected yet you cannot go out to work giving 24/7care yet it’s based partners job
Comments aren’t closed. Stunned
@Gareth Byrne: I think they’re banking on good will from the budget this year and 2024, maybe thousands of new homes coming onto the market next year, see how the European and local elections go in 2024 and cross their fingers SF get caught in something unpleasant
How are they ( Government) going to ensure that rising costs will not be passed onto the consumer.
Every business be it Hotels/Bars/Restaurants or service industries are gouging the consumer.
What & how are our consumer watchdogs (Quangos) going to do about it
Feck all
You can be guaranteed one thing whatever meger crumbs we get ‘ Irish businesses & the tax man will get it
It’s a giveaway – not interested in proper governance – look at country and the way things are managed!! Problem is no real alternative just paddy politics very much alive and kicking
Families are getting evicted and they can’t find another home, because there isn’t enough houses to rent.
If you earned 2000 U.S dollars an hour since Christ’s birth you would still have 80 people richer than you in the U.S. It’s totally obvious that people on welfare are the problem because every billionaire in the world has earned every cent. Get a grip, stop punching downwards and look upwards to where the real problems lie.
Painful O D!
On another headline, why had a guard cannabis that was evidence in his locker is there not a secure lockup for evidence in the station ?
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