PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Tommy Fleetwood arrived to the golf course at 5 a.m. Thursday expecting a long day at the Players Championship.
Walking into the scorer’s area more than 12 hours later armed with the first-round lead, Fleetwood was delighted to say he finished.
“I don’t know when I’ll play next, but I’m happy,” Fleetwood said. “I’m done.”
With sunset closing in, many of the world’s top golfers were just beginning a long journey with no end in sight on the rain-soaked Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. Darkness halted play with six groups yet to tee off as just half the 144 players in the field completed their rounds.
More than five combined hours in weather delays included a 75-minute stoppage before a shot had been struck and a 4:14 interruption as Fleetwood faced a birdie putt just inside 10 feet on the par-5 second hole — the Englishman’s 11th.
Once golfers returned to course, Fleetwood drained the putt without skipping a beat for this third straight birdie and one of seven as he carded a 6-under 66 to end tied with American Tom Hoge. Four golfers finished 5-under, including Genesis Invitational winner Joaquin Niemann and Keith Mitchell whose bogey-free round ended with a 5 on the par-4 18th, but it didn’t ruin his day.
“All in all, just glad to be done, obviously,” he said.
Golfers able to play faced a soft, benign golf course with highly favorable scoring conditions.
“No wind when we came out, which was huge. Greens were soft,” Mitchell said. “Really the only tough shot with soft greens was 17 [the par-3 island green] just because it’s so hard to keep it on the top shelf without spinning it down.”
The primary challenge was remaining patient, focused and dry.
Following a 3-under 69 ending with a demoralizing double-bogey on 18, Will Zalatoris said his clothing choice was as critical as club choice.
“I had every variation of outerwear on today,” the reigning PGA Tour Rookie of the Year said. “Rain pants, rain jacket, rain glove, all of it off, maybe a regular jacket, throw the umbrella in there.”
In Thursday’s conditions, swinging a golf club was easier than carrying a bag of them.
“That’s where it’s nice to have a good caddie,” Kramer Hickok said following a 5-under round. “Caddies have got to have three, four arms basically. They’re juggling umbrellas and towels and you name it.
“Honestly I just keep focused on playing golf and the caddie kind of takes care of the rest.”
Grounds crews and caddies could become the unsung heroes of the PGA Tour’s showcase event.
Friday’s forecast calls for much of the same, if not worse. A cold front arriving Saturday will drop temperatures on the First Coast into the 30s and could delay Sunday’s play if frost forms on the putting surfaces.
The tournament faces the possibility of its first Monday finish since 48-year-old Fred Funk’s 2005 win.
Experience again could play a role in the outcome.
“I’ve learned not to ever assume, not to assume that you’re not going to play, not to assume that you are and just kind of be ready,” Hickok, 29, said. “It’s easy to go in and sit down and kind of look at the radar and kind of check out and all of a sudden they say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to be out there on the range and get ready to go,’ and it’s kind of a whirlwind.”
For those who finished their first rounds, Friday could become an interminable wait.
The showcase afternoon grouping of defending champion Justin Thomas, 2019 winner Rory McIlroy and world No. 2 Collin Morikawa did not tee off until 5:56 p.m. Thursday — just 34 minutes before sunset ― and completed two holes. Once the high-profile threesome finishes, it will begin the second round within 30 minutes.
There’s a fair chance Fleetwood, seeking first win since Nedbank Golf Challenge in November 2019, might not hit his next competitive shot until Saturday.
“When it’s your turn to play, play,” he said. “Look, it’s an amazing event. So it’s great being here. I’ve had a great first round. So try and make the most of it now and be grateful whenever we do get to play to go out and challenge yourself.”
