William McGirt and Canadian rookie Mackenzie Hughes were at the top of the leaderboard at the end of Round 1 during an eventful day at The Players Championships in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
It looked like former No. 1 Adam Scott would be the leader in the clubhouse – he was up a stroke through 16. But Scott double-bogeyed the infamous No. 17 with a shot that bounced into the water, then lost his cool and double-bogeyed No. 18 as well.
“I played some good golf out there and unfortunately not on the last two,” Scott said after settling for a 70. “It happens.”
Hughes did not record a bogey all round and only had two putts farther then three feet away. McGirt fired a couple of back-nine eagles to keep his name atop the leaderboard.