PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – The first round of The Players Championship is in books. Rory McIlroy, Wyndham Clark and Xander Schauffele share the first-round lead at 7 under after a beautiful, postcard-type day at the Stadium Course. When do golfers tee off for the second round? You can find those times here.
Some sights and sounds from Thursday at TPC Sawgrass.
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Caleb Williams at Players
Former University of Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams was as far away from the football field as possible on Thursday. The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner and presumptive No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft was in the gallery that followed the featured group of Rory McIlroy, Vixtor Hovland and Jordan Spieth for the opening round of the tournament.
Williams was recognized by quite a few fans, doled out some fist bumps, waved and acknowledged fans who spotted him. He’s in town working with local quarterback trainers preparing for the draft, something that players like Anthony Richardson, Brock Purdy and others have done in recent years.
Williams told News4JAX that his Trojans coach Lincoln Riley suggested he give the sport a try, at least as a fan. So, Williams figured Thursday was as good a time as any.
“With it being my first golf experience in-person was really cool.” Williams said.
Nicklaus a surprise
The first Players champion made an appearance on Thursday, much to everyone’s surprise. Iconic golfer Jack Nicklaus was a special guest at TPC Sawgrass, making an appearance at No. 1 hole and drawing quite a reaction. He greeted previous champs Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas and reigning Players winner Scottie Scheffler as the group prepared to tee off at 1:40 p.m.
Nicklaus was in attendance at the Stadium Course to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the event, and executive director Lee Smith told News4JAX last week that the tournament would have a thing or two up its sleeves to honor the rich history of the event. Nicklaus is the only three-time winner of the major-like tournament, winning three of the first five tournaments. He won the first one in 1974 at Atlanta Country Club, 1976 at Inverrary Golf & Country Club and 1978 at Sawgrass Country Club across the road from TPC Sawgrass.
History for Fox
What a first round for Ryan Fox.
He was mired in a benign 1-over start when Fox stuck his 180-yard approach on the par 5 No. 16 to within a few feet and sank his putt for eagle. No big deal, right? No. 16 is one of the course’s most forgiving holes with birdies a common sight.
Then came the shot of the first round.
Fox hit his gap wedge right at the pin, dead at the flag. Once it stuck and spun back, the line was right at the hole and it rolled in for an ace. It was just the 14th hole-in-one on the 17th, and the first for Fox in PGA Tour event. It was the first time in Players history that a golfer had back-to-back eagles. To celebrate, Fox bought Michelob Ultras for media working the event.
After his round, Fox was still in a bit of disbelief of his back-to-back shots. He told News4JAX that he had a mountain of text messages that he was going to have to respond to.
“I mean, it’s such an iconic hole, and it’s an intimidating shot. I don’t care who you are. You get up there, most of the crowd probably either wants you to make a 1 or hit it in the water, so I’m glad to be on the right side of it in that respect,” Fox said.
“… I was pretty chuffed to look up and see it going down the flag, and obviously a little bit of luck for it to come down the slope and go back in, but I’m certainly not complaining.”