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MiamicTypeface:> Britain’s Tommy Fleetwood fired a seven-under-par 65 to seize a one-stroke lead early in Thursday’s opening round of the US PGA Players Championship with Rory McIlroy lurking two adrift.
Fleetwood’s bogey-free round at TPC Sawgrass included birdies on six of his last nine holes after starting at the 10th hole at the Ponte Vedra Beach layout.
“If I was going to pick a start, that would be it,” Fleetwood said. “I’ve done a good job of keeping myself in it.”
The 28-year-old Englishman owned a one-stroke clubhouse edge over South Korean An Byeong-hun and American Brian Harman with four-time major winner McIlroy of Northern Ireland sitting fourth on 67 with half the field on the course.
“I felt like I left a few out there. “I’m off to good start,” McIlroy said.
Fleetwood, seventh at last year’s Players and third last week at Bay Hill, seeks his first US PGA title after four wins on the European Tour, the most recent of them last year defending a title at Abu Dhabi.
Fleetwood managed only one birdie on his first nine, that coming at the par-4 12th when he found a greenside bunker off the tee then blasted out two feet from the cup and tapped in the putt.
Fleetwood birdied the first hole from 20 feet and had a two-putt birdie from 60 feet at the par-5 second, then put his approach at the par-4 fifth to three feet to set up another. A spectacular closing birdie run saw last year’s US Open runner-up sink a 15-foot putt at seven, a 28-footer at the par-3 eighth and blast out of a bunker to 17 feet and make another putt at the par-5 ninth to end his day.
Meanwhile, McIlroy made five-foot birdie putts at 11 and 12 and sank a nine-footer on the famed par-3 17th. He blasted out of a bunker to six feet and made his birdie putt at the second then sank an eight-foot birdie putt at the fifth. (AFP)
Fleetwood’s bogey-free round at TPC Sawgrass included birdies on six of his last nine holes after starting at the 10th hole at the Ponte Vedra Beach layout.
“If I was going to pick a start, that would be it,” Fleetwood said. “I’ve done a good job of keeping myself in it.”
The 28-year-old Englishman owned a one-stroke clubhouse edge over South Korean An Byeong-hun and American Brian Harman with four-time major winner McIlroy of Northern Ireland sitting fourth on 67 with half the field on the course.
“I felt like I left a few out there. “I’m off to good start,” McIlroy said.
Fleetwood, seventh at last year’s Players and third last week at Bay Hill, seeks his first US PGA title after four wins on the European Tour, the most recent of them last year defending a title at Abu Dhabi.
Fleetwood managed only one birdie on his first nine, that coming at the par-4 12th when he found a greenside bunker off the tee then blasted out two feet from the cup and tapped in the putt.
Fleetwood birdied the first hole from 20 feet and had a two-putt birdie from 60 feet at the par-5 second, then put his approach at the par-4 fifth to three feet to set up another. A spectacular closing birdie run saw last year’s US Open runner-up sink a 15-foot putt at seven, a 28-footer at the par-3 eighth and blast out of a bunker to 17 feet and make another putt at the par-5 ninth to end his day.
Meanwhile, McIlroy made five-foot birdie putts at 11 and 12 and sank a nine-footer on the famed par-3 17th. He blasted out of a bunker to six feet and made his birdie putt at the second then sank an eight-foot birdie putt at the fifth. (AFP)
