Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge share the early lead in the United States Professional Golfers Association Tour Players Championship. Rain and thunderstorms on Thursday delay the event. Englishman Fleetwood and American Hoge tamed the TPC Sawgrass course in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. His amazing display of shotmaking is to conclude their first round at the top of the clubhouse at 6-under-par 66. Starting from the 10th hole Fleetwood opened with three straight birdies to set the tone for his round.
He was 6-under through 14 holes when he hit an errant drive on the sixth hole. This led to a bogey that dropped him to 5-under. He almost recorded another bogey in the seventh but he made a superb par save. He concluded his day with a 25-foot birdie on the par-3 eighth, bringing him back to 6-under. Hoge, on the other hand, surprised online PGA betting enthusiasts with a sizzling 31 on the front nine to share the clubhouse lead with Fleetwood.
Rain Delays Play
Fleetwood and Hoge are one stroke ahead of Anirban Lahiri of India and Joaquin Niemann of Chile. Also, they are ahead of Americans Keith Mithell and Kramer Hickok. Only 66 of 144 players complete their first-round. This is due to rain and thunderstorms that lasted for about four hours and 14 minutes. Darkness stops the first-round play and 12 other golfers have yet to start their round. It was their first weather stoppage at the Players since the second round in 2016.
The top player still on the course was Taylor Pendrith of Canada, who was 4-under after 16 holes and will tee-off at the par-3 17th island hole on Friday. Reigning US Open champion Jon Rahm fired a 69 while multiple major winners Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson were at 2-under after three holes and Justin Rose was 2-under after two holes. Harold Varner III also carded a 69. Japanese Hideki Matsuyama was a late withdrawal from the field. The 2021 Masters champion pulled out of the USD20-million tournament citing a back injury and was replaced in the field by American Patrick Rodgers.
There is a high possibility of another rainout in the second round as there will be a 99% chance of rain affecting the course once again. Six early starters failed to finish the first round and they will continue on Friday morning. The PGA Tour enjoyed ideal weather with no delays for nine weeks in four states across five time zones to start the year and for its richest event, with the strongest and deepest field of the year, it barely got started.
Conclusion
The Players Championship lasting until Monday is a distinct possibility with rain continuing to pour at Ponte Vedra Beach. Unless it is shortened to three rounds, the event will now be a test of who will adjust better to the conditions presented during the week. The world’s top online site for golf odds and parlays will provide the stroke-by-stroke account of the tournament and the final results.
