The Players Championship: Selections, Mulligans & Round 1 Recap

The PGA Tour’s flagship event is off and running at The Players Championship, and our league selections are locked in. All but one player got their picks in, with Brandon receiving a fine under the Sutton Fine Rule for back-to-back missed selections.

Mulligan Moves

After a tough opening round, two players decided to take advantage of their mulligans:

• Jim switched from Hideki Matsuyama (+2, 74) to JJ Spaun (-6, 66) – A huge swing in his favor after Matsuyama struggled while Spaun surged into contention.
• Laura swapped Justin Thomas (+6, 78) for Lucas Glover (-6, 66) – A bold and smart move, as Glover’s strong start puts her in a much better position heading into Friday.

Round 1 Highlights

It was an action-packed opening round at TPC Sawgrass, with a mix of strong starts and early struggles among our league’s selections.

🔥 The Best Starts:

• JJ Spaun & Lucas Glover (-6, 66) – Both players set the pace for our group with impressive rounds, giving themselves a great chance heading into Friday.
• Rory McIlroy (-5, 67) – The former Players champ is in prime position after a bogey-free back nine.
• Aaron Rai (-4, 68) – A steady day for Rai, who avoided big mistakes and kept himself in the mix.

⚖️ Solid Rounds:

• Patrick Cantlay & Scottie Scheffler (-3, 69) – Both stayed patient on a tricky day and are sitting in great position.
• Jordan Spieth, Keegan Bradley, Sepp Straka (-2, 70) – A steady start, but they’ll need to keep the momentum going into the weekend.
• Ludvig Aberg, Si Woo Kim, Tommy Fleetwood (-1, 71) – Hanging around even after some missed opportunities.

🚨 Work to Do:

• Xander Schauffele, Wyndham Clark, Shane Lowry (E, 72) – Not the worst start, but they’ll need a strong Friday to climb the board.
• Hideki Matsuyama (+2, 74) & Michael Kim (+3, 75) – A tough start, especially at a course where mistakes get punished.
• Tony Finau (+4, 76) – He’ll need a huge turnaround to make the cut.
• Justin Thomas (+6, 78) – A disastrous opening round leaves him in serious danger of missing the weekend.

Looking Ahead to Round 2

With TPC Sawgrass playing tough, Round 2 will be crucial as players try to position themselves for the weekend. Will Spaun and Glover continue their hot play? Can Rory make a charge? And who will be packing their bags early?

Stay tuned for more updates as The Players continues!