Tommy Fleetwood shines in disrupted first round of Players Championship

As the PGA Tour faces the possibility of a Monday finish to its marquee event, Tommy Fleetwood has ending a barren run on his mind. An opening round of 66 for Fleetwood at the Players Championship supplied evidence of a return to form for a golfer who hasn’t tasted victory since 2019.

“This game is strange,” Fleetwood said. “But I do think I’m doing enough good things now that I can push on.”

Torrential overnight rain delayed the start of play by an hour. As expected electric storms subsequently hit this corner of Florida, a stoppage of four and a quarter hours ensued from late morning. Fleetwood returned from that break to take the lead, courtesy of a 9ft birdie putt at the 2nd, his 11th. The bigger picture relates to further lightning in the forecast for day two. Another lengthy break in play would leave the organisers facing an uphill battle to conclude this tournament on Sunday evening.

Another example of the messy status of this competition was illustrated by Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas. That trio were afforded just half an hour of round one playing time before darkness hit. Theirs will be an early Friday start. Fleetwood can at least enjoy a lie-in with round one safely in the books.

“I don’t know when I’ll play next but I’m happy to be done,” Fleetwood said. “I can sit on this and feel happy with my work. I think you just have to make sure you stay ready throughout the week.

“It’s easy to get caught off guard when you’re hanging around for a long time to then all of a sudden have to try to switch it back on. It’s almost like, relax as much as you can and save your energy but always stay ready and in that mindset that you might be going out at any time.”

Francesco Molinari, Fleetwood’s Ryder Cup