PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Lucas Glover isn’t sure what to make of his record at the TPC Sawgrass, 10 times missing the cut with only two top 10s. But there was no big secret Thursday at The Players Championship.
He hit it where he was aiming and made putts, with birdies on his final four holes for a 6-under 66 that gave him an early two-shot lead at golf’s richest tournament.
It stood out on a gorgeous day of many shocking scores. Justin Thomas hit four tee shots into the water and had to birdie the last two holes for a 78. Viktor Hovland had three double bogeys in his round of 80.
Jordan Spieth had an eagle, birdie, par, bogey and double bogey in his opening six holes. He managed to deliver a typical dose of excitement in his round of 70.
“That’s the thing about this place,” Glover said. “There’s always some really good scores and always some really bad scores. The margins are razor thin here, akin to say Augusta or Bay Hill. You get off just a little, you can make big numbers in a hurry.
“I happened to have a bunch of good numbers today and a bunch of good yardages and was able to be aggressive and I putted great.”
He was two shots ahead of Stephan Jaeger, Aaron Rai, Alex Smalley and Bud Cauley among those who played early in ideal March conditions in Florida — sunshine, warmth and a breeze, with fast fairways and receptive greens.
It’s a great recipe for scoring. But there’s that Sawgrass factor, where a slight miss can lead to a big number.
Two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler and the next two players behind him in the world ranking, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, played in the afternoon.
“This course will get you pretty quickly,” Jaeger said, who was in the middle of the fairway on the par-5 ninth and had to make an 8-foot putt to escape with bogey.
Glover was not immune. He was too aggressive on the par-5 11th with a wedge and wound up in a pot-shaped bunker for bogey. He dropped another shot on the next hole.
But it was the finish that set him apart — an approach to 5 feet on the 15th, a chip to tap-in range on the par-5 16th, an 18-foot birdie putt on the island green par-3 17th and a shot that caught the slope and fed down to 8 feet for birdie on the 18th.
It was his best start at The Players since he opened with a 65 in 2011. Glover shot 74-77 that weekend to tie for 50th. It can change quickly around this place.
The 45-year-old former U.S. Open champion is having a late resurgence in his career, particularly impressive from having overcome the putting yips about a decade ago. He never gave up the grind and finally cashed in by winning the Wyndham Championship and the opening FedEx Cup playoff event in consecutive weeks in 2023.
He already is eligible for the Masters from finishing last year at No. 50 in the world.
“Just don’t want to be done at 45, honestly,” Glover said. “I deep down believe I can still compete out here at 45 and I don’t want to stop anytime soon.”
Crowds were particularly large for a Thursday morning, especially around the island green. That’s where Glover made his 18-foot birdie, leaning on his experience for how that putt rolls.
The entertainment came from Justin Lower. He hit his tee shot in the water, went to the drop zone and holed the next shot for a par.
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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
