What was the biggest surprise of Day 1 of the 2025 Players Championship?
Justin Thomas reacts to a wayward tee shot during the first round of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
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Day 1 at the 2025 Players Championship is complete with three players — Lucas Glover, J.J. Spaun and Camilo Villegas — tied at six under, and with a few more still on the course waiting to finish their first round. What did we learn on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass? We asked our staffers.
What was the biggest surprise of Day 1 of the Players Championship?
Josh Sens, senior writer: That Scottie Scheffler didn’t win. I kid. Though it’s not exactly a shock to have an unlikely leader this early in the tournament, Camilo Villegas was not high on my list to jump out to such a hot start. He’s a Florida guy and knows this course well. But that was quite the tidy round I just watched out of him.
Jessica Marksbury, senior editor: I agree, Josh! The number of not-so-flashy veteran names at the top of the leaderboard after Day 1 is definitely a surprise, from Lucas Glover to J.J. Spaun to Billy Horschel. A long way to go, of course, but proof that all kinds of players can be successful at TPC Sawgrass.
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James Colgan, news and features editor: Man, I’m surprised how easy this golf course played. Lots of red numbers and receptive greens. Not the norm!
Josh Berhow, managing editor: Can my surprise be I’m not very surprised? And what I mean is the ‘board seems about right. Some veterans up top, some big-name players in good position and some guys who came in struggling, well, still struggling. It will be interesting to see who among the five- and six-under scores will stick around after 36 holes. Rickie Fowler is two back at four under; it would be fun to see him turn back the clock at this event — can’t believe it’s been a decade since he won here.
Dylan Dethier, senior writer: You can’t win the tournament on Thursday so it seems appropriate to address the fellas who have already lost it. To piggyback on Berhow’s point, the big names at the bottom of the leaderboard aren’t surprising, necessarily — but seeing Viktor Hovland shoot 80 and Max Homa shoot 79 (plus Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Thomas shooting 78) on a relatively scoring-friendly day reinforced some of their fans’ fears about their current struggles. TPC Sawgrass is brutal if you’re a little bit off. They’re a little bit off.
Josh Schrock, associate news editor: That Justin Thomas lost nine strokes to the field with his ball-striking (off the tee and approach) in what was a Grade-A ejection after starting the tournament two under through seven holes. JT found the water on 17 and made double. He then hit his tee shot on 18 left into the dead center of the pond and made triple. He found the water again on 4 and 5. Thursday at TPC Sawgrass was a brutal day for a guy who has appeared to be rounding back into form.
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