Austin Smotherman has the chance to take teh outright lead
Four players – Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, Sahith Theegala and Sepp Straka – hold the outright lead in the suspended opening round of The Players Championship. Austin Smotherman, one of four players yet to complete the opening round is also tied at the top with the final hole to finish.
The four carded 5-under-par 67s as the world top ranked players Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy ended with round sof 72 and 74 respectively.
Thirty-year-old McNealy hit only 5-of-14 fairway but reeled off five birdies in his first 12 holes. The former world top amateur is seeking is his second Tour win after winning the RSM Classic two years ago.
McNealy has not had the best o starts this season, making only one top-10 finish in seven starts in 2026.
Hodges, who birdied two of his last three holes, is also seeking his second win on the Tour since winning the 2023 3M Open. The 30-year-old is making his fifth start of the season and also only one top-10 finish at the Sony Open in Hawaii.
An eagle on the par-5 16th helped 30-year-old Straka tie for the lead. The 32-year-old is in the chase for his his fifth win on the Tour. He is one of three players who carded a bogey-free opening round, The others being Ludvig Åberg and Viktor Hovland.
With three top-10 finishes this season, Theegala is seeking only his second win on Tour since the Fortinet Championship three years ago.
Smotherman who is five-under through 17 has a chance to seize the outright lead when play resumes on Friday as he faces a 15-foot birdie putt on his final hole – the par-5 ninth.
Making his second start of the season since returning from back surgery in November, 2021, defending champion Justin Thomas is tied sixth after opening with 4-under 68, his first time breaking 70 in the first round of championships in 11 appearances.
Scheffler, the two-time champion is tied-40th and has plenty to do keep his longest active cuts made streak on Tour that now stands at 69. He is tied with 2004 champion Adam Scott,who recorded his 23rd birdie all-time on No. 17, the second-most in the tournament history behind Bernhard Langer’s 26.
McIlroy, the two-time champion is T69/+2. He carded his first over-par round on Tour since the Tour Championship (R3/71); withdrew from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational with a back injury prior to his third round.
World No. 4 Collin Morikawa withdrew from the tournament due to a back injury after playing just one hole.
