Camilo Villegas and Lucas Glover among those who share players championship on the wild day

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. -Camilo Villegas was on the phone the day before the player championship was trying to sort his swing with a coach in Singapore Caddying at a Golf Liv. It ended tied for lead, a particular twist in a tour full of them.

Thursday was no exception.

Lucas Glover had nine birds in his round of 6-Sub 66, leaving him tied with Villegas and JJ Spaun, who managed to stop around TPC Sawgrass without a Bogey.

Max McGreevy, who equalized the tournament record for the biggest score two years ago with an 89, had the chance to join them. He was 5 below and faced a 15-meter bird well on the 17th hole, when the game was suspended by the dark.

Rory Mcilroy made four birds of tee shots that found the hard or pine straw, including the 18th hole when he hit a pine straw and left the trees at 7 meters, putting him in the group at 67.

“You only hope for a return and a gap, and I both had,” Mcilroy said. “Just trying to crack and run a 5-fierce around the green face and do 4 and get out of there. It was a bonus to lift it on the green and the Putt hole was a wonderful way to finish. “

The twice defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, left a few blows there or two bird chances were within 8 meters-but was sufficiently satisfied with a 69.

Villegas was about to lose his card two years ago, when he connected with Jose Luis Campra, a respected Argentine professional who falls on the side. Currently, he enjoys Sebastian Munoz on Liv, who is in Singapore this week.

“It was 9 o’clock in the morning, it was 21:00 there,” Villegas said. “I worked for a few hours. He is a very, very hard worker. Very few boys give more golf lessons than Jose Campra, and he is always available for me. So it’s great. “

It was a small change in the descent, and Villegas led it on the dangerous route of the stadium and promptly made five birds on the new back to start the round. There were a few mistakes, typical for most players.

That’s what this course does. Ufa losses can turn into large numbers.

Chandler Phillips experienced both. He set a three -Eagles player championship record. He also had four birds, an amazing performance deleted by a triple Bogey on the eighth-hole that started with a shredded tee in a bush Palmetto.

Justin Lower had the best of all. He was one of the 10 players who hit his fires in the water on the Green Island at the 17th Par-3. He was the only player who moved away with equality, going to the fall area and turns his panel.

Max Greyserman wasn’t that lucky. He put two in the water and had to make a 12 -meter well for his quadruple Bogey.

Glover is not sure what to do from his record at TPC Sawgrass, 10 times missing with only two top 10. But it was not a big secret on this day. He hit him where he targeted and made Putts, with birds on the four final holes.

It came out of the background of surprising scores on a gorgeous day. Justin Thomas hit four tee shots in the water and had to puck his last two holes for a 78. Viktor Hovland had three double boges in his 80 -year -old round.

Jordan Spieth had an eagle, a bird, hair, bogey and double bogey in the six opening holes. He played a much boring bay – which he prefers – with seven pars, a bird and a bogey on the new back and added to a 70.

“This is the thing about this place,” Glover said. “There are always some very good scores and always some very bad scores. The margins are thin to laugh here, similar to say Augusta or Bay Hill. Get down just a little, you can make big numbers in a hurry.

“I had a lot of good numbers today and a lot of good yards and I could be aggressive and I thought great.”

Glover was not immune. He was too aggressive on Par-5 11 with a wedge and ended in a pot for a pot for Bogey. Threw another shot on the next hole.

But it was the finish that separated an approach to 5 meters on 15, a chip at the range of wallpaper on Par-5 16, an 18-meter bird well on the green island Par-3 17 and a blow that caught the slope and was fed 8 meters for Birdie on 18.

The former 45-year-old US Open champion has a very impressive late career resurrection to overcome the yips about a decade ago. He never gave up grinding and finally received the Wyndham championship and the FedEx Cup opening playoff in consecutive weeks of 2023.

“I just don’t want to be done at 45, honestly,” Glover said. “I believe in depth that I can compete here at 45 and I do not want to stop soon.”

McGreevy was among five players who didn’t finish before the dark. He was going to resume at 8 in the morning and then everyone gets to do it again.

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