Weather: Thursday: Partly cloudy. High of 72. Wind E 8-12 mph. The first round was suspended due to darkness at 6:32 p.m. ET with 21 players left on the course. Friday: The first round resumed at 7:30 a.m. and was completed at 8:31 a.m. Mostly sunny. High of 73. Wind E 4-8 mph.
First-Round Leaderboard
Sergio Garcia 65 (-7)
Brian Harman 67 (-5)
Matthew Fitzpatrick 68 (-4)
Corey Conners 68 (-4)
Shane Lowry 68 (-4)
Things to Know
- 2008 PLAYERS Championship winner Sergio Garcia makes two eagles, holds two-stroke 18-hole lead
- Garcia also led THE PLAYERS by two strokes after the first round in 2008 before going on to win
- Garcia cards his tournament-record 25th round in the 60s at THE PLAYERS
- The players in first place (Garcia) and last place (Henrik Stenson) won THE PLAYERS in back-to-back years (2008, 2009)
- Brian Harman stands solo-second after a 67 that included four consecutive birdies on Nos. 9-12
- Defending champion Rory McIlroy records 79, tying the second-highest opening round score of his PGA TOUR career
First-Round Lead Notes
15 First-round leaders/co-leaders to win THE PLAYERS Championship
(most recent: Webb Simpson/2018)
4 First-round leaders/co-leaders to win on TOUR in 2020-21
(most recent: Patrick Reed/Farmers Insurance Open)
| Statistic | Entering the week |
| Age | 41 (January 9, 1980) |
| FedExCup | 23 |
| OWGR | 43 |
| Starts at THE PLAYERS | 20 |
| Wins at THE PLAYERS | 1 |
| Top-10s at THE PLAYERS | 6 |
| Career PGA TOUR starts | 375 |
| Career PGA TOUR wins | 11 |
| Career PGA TOUR top-10s | 106 |
| PGA TOUR starts in 2020-21 | 10 |
| PGA TOUR wins in 2020-21 | 1 |
| PGA TOUR top-10s in 2020-21 | 1 |
- Has one win (2008) and two runner-up finishes (2007, 2015) in 20 prior starts at THE PLAYERS
- 25th round in the 60s at THE PLAYERS, most in tournament history
- Recorded eagles at Nos. 16 and 9 (both par 5s); first career round in THE PLAYERS with multiple eagles (77th round)
- Third career round on the PGA TOUR with multiple eagles and first since 2012 The Genesis Invitational (2/R4)
- Lowest opening-round score at THE PLAYERS and first 65 or better in a round at TPC Sawgrass since 2013 (65/R2)
- 13th 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR and second at THE PLAYERS (first: 2008/Won)
- 2-for-12 to date with the 18-hole lead/co-lead on TOUR (wins: 2008 THE PLAYERS Championship, 2016 AT&T Byron Nelson)
- First past PLAYERS winner to hold the 18-hole lead/co-lead at the event since Matt Kuchar in 2018
- Has one win (Sanderson Farms Championship) and six made cuts in 10 starts during the 2020-21 season
- Entered the week No. 23 in the FedExCup standings and No. 43 in the Official World Golf Ranking
Brian Harman (2nd/-5)
- Has competed in THE PLAYERS Championship eight times with top finishes of T8 twice (2015, 2019); in two previous top-10s at THE PLAYERS, opened with 71 (2015) and 66 (2019)
- Carded four consecutive birdies from Nos. 9-12; the birdie streak was one off his career-best on TOUR of five in a row (four times; most recently: R3/2020 ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP @ SHERWOOD)
- With a back-nine 31, matching his career-low nine-hole score at THE PLAYERS (R2/2012/front nine)
- Highest 18-hole position since 2019 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (2nd)
- Entered the week No. 75 in the FedExCup standings and No. 95 in the Official World Golf Ranking
- Has one top-10 in 13 starts this season (T8/The American Express)
- Two-time PGA TOUR champion (2014 John Deere Classic, 2017 Wells Fargo Championship)
Miscellaneous Notes
- Corey Conners (T3/-4) is the only player in the field to eagle the par-4 14th (461 yards); holed out from the fairway from 154 yards
- Matthew Fitzpatrick (T3/-4) posts his second sub-70 score in 13 rounds at THE PLAYERS (first: 69, R1/2016)
- Viktor Hovland (T42/E) was assessed a two-stroke penalty under Rule 14.7 for playing a ball from the wrong place; Hovland marked his ball on the green, moved it one putter-head length for another player, and then moved it again in the same direction rather than replacing it (score changed from 2-under 70 to even-par 72)
- FedExCup leader Bryson DeChambeau (T6) opens with a 3-under 69, his eighth under-par score in nine rounds at the event;DeChambeau is the only player to win multiple tournaments during the 2020-21 season (U.S. Open, Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard)
- Reigning FedExCup champion and World No. 1 Dustin Johnson records a 1-over 73 and stands T58; T5 in 2019 marked Johnson’s first top-10 in 11 starts at the event
- Defending champion Rory McIlroy opens with 7-over 79, tying the second-highest opening round score of his PGA TOUR career (highest: 80/2018 U.S. Open); with a 43 on the back nine, tied the highest opening nine-hole score of his PGA TOUR career (677th round)
- Byeong Hun An recorded an 11 at the par-3 17th, tying the second-highest score on that hole since the event moved to TPC Sawgrass in 1982; highest: 12, Bob Tway (R3/2005)
- Kevin Na withdrew after the first round due to a back injury
Course Statistics
Toughest Hole Easiest Hole
R1: Par-4 18th (4.416) Par-5 16th (4.610)
Scoring Averages
Front 9 Back 9 Total Cumulative
R1: 36.896 36.909 73.805 –
Bogey-free rounds:
R1 (1): Tom Hoge (69)
Balls in the water at No. 17 (since 2003)
| Year | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | Total |
| 2021 | 35 | ||||
| 2019 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 45 |
| 2018 | 24 | 21 | 6 | 3 | 54 |
| 2017 | 19 | 29 | 10 | 11 | 69 |
| 2016 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 4 | 36 |
| 2015 | 21 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 45 |
| 2014 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 28 |
| 2013 | 15 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 44 |
| 2012 | 18 | 11 | 4 | 6 | 39 |
| 2011 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 40 |
| 2010 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 29 |
| 2009 | 16 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 32 |
| 2008 | 20 | 18 | 10 | 16 | 64 |
| 2007 | 50 | 21 | 10 | 12 | 93 |
| 2006 | 19 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 57 |
| 2005 | 7 | 8 | 25 | 28 | 68 |
| 2004 | 9 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 30 |
| 2003 | 6 | 10 | 3 | 10 | 29 |
| Average | 17.22 | 13.24 | 8.06 | 9.71 | 47.18 |