"That just goes to show you how hard it is to come back and play this golf course, because it does test every aspect of your game, not only the physical part but the mental part, as well, and if you don't come into a golf course like this sharp in both areas, then it will really unfold out there".
Course: TPC Sawgrass. Built in 1980 by Pete and Alice Dye it stands as one of the more hard course in the United States.
If Rory McIlroy is going to win the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, he'll need to stage quite the comeback.
"I was just a little exhausted, so I just kind of took the day off", he said after opening with a 70. They each wanted their tournament to become the next Masters and the odds decreased with the rise of the Players.
Sawgrass represents an exacting test with no margin for error and that remains the case following the latest renovations to the layout. We can't wait to see!
Sergio Garcia had the crowd on their feet at the TPC Sawgrass with his stunning effort on the 17th. Having won here in 2008, Garcia has a pretty good track record at The Players. The players who have combined to win the last 45 PGA Tour events will be teeing off.
Telling reporters this week, "It's my most favourite golf course in the U.S".
"I still don't feel like I'm halfway there to achieving what I want to achieve. That has led to some really good finishes". He hasn't won since The Players previous year. Graeme McDowell is best-placed on -1.
World number one Dustin Johnson tops a large group at 71 that also includes German Bernhard Langer, who at 59 is the oldest player in the tournament.
Thursday's hole location was just a few paces from the 12th hole's deep pot bunker.
Rickie Fowler aces island-green 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass
I'm getting a lot more confidence, especially after last week, playing a lot better on the weekend". Joining Day at 8:16 EDT Thursday morning will be Henrik Stenson (2009) and Rickie Fowler (2015).
But the current world number three feels ready to start pushing for the top once again.
Garcia admitted he struggled to get back into competitive mode early in the round, adding: "I thought it was going to be easier than it was".
The 2017 Masters champion lifted his right arm in celebration and disbelief before hugging his caddie and shaking hands. Johnson almost won his fourth straight tournament last week at the Wells Fargo Championship in North Carolina, finishing tied for second a shot behind Brian Harman, who made a 30-foot birdie putt on his 72 hole to avoid a playoff with Johnson and Pat Perez.
What matters is how they played it when it counts, on Thursday, and much will depend on the pin position. "Now they still have that option of doing that, but you have the option of actually hitting a driver or 3-wood up there as well".
"It's been awhile. I'm trying to think".
The Real Star of The Players....
A hole-in-one, the eighth on the par-3 17th in tournament history.
Sergio Garcia, for example, used to have "10" in honor of Real Madrid winning a Champions League title for the 10th time.
Surrounded by water on three sides with spectators lining the outer edges, this is the weekend's make or break hole. More so than when you're behind you kind of have to kind of push a little bit. Or as Luke Donald once put it, "It's do-or-die". After eight holes of near-perfect golf, the Englishman's round promised so much. Hit it too long, water, hit it too short, water, too far to the right, water, too far to the left- you get the picture. It differs from the other bodies in golf such as the PGA, representing certified teaching professionals and club golf; and the USGA which represents the game of golf in the US.
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