THE PLAYERS | Round 1 highlights from TPC: ‘What a shot! ⛳’

Players Championship Golf Sahith Theegala hits from the rough on the ninth hole during the first round of The Players Championship golf tournament Thursday, March 12, 2026, in Ponte Bedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) (Gerald Herbert/AP)

By Harold Goodridge

Five golfers are at -5 atop THE PLAYERS leaderboard though one round (Austin Smotherman, Sepp Straka, Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, Sahith Theegala.)

Notably missing from those names are the three most talked about players leading into the tournament (Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa and Rory McIlroy.)

The presence of the elements were certainly felt Thursday as a downpour led to a brief delay and strong wind gust approaching 20 mph.

Before players tee off at 7:40 a.m. Friday creating new memories, here are some of the best shots and highlights from Thursday.

Read: Fans guide to THE PLAYERS 2026 ⛳| Everything you need to know before you go

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