Round 1 of the 2022 Players Championships was upended by two separate rain delays totaling five hours on Thursday. That turned TPC Sawgrass into a point-and-shoot track miles from the fast and firm conditions that normally make it famous this time of year.
2022 Players Championship: Picks| Odds| Expert predictions
Picks:
Fleetwood was brilliant on and around the greens and drove it great, but he wasn’t even in the top 100 in approach shots, which is going to be a problem at a place like TPC Sawgrass if the wind is howling.
“It’s a great first day,” said Fleetwood. “I’m chuffed to be in on that score. I felt like I drove the ball well aside from a couple, and I felt like I chipped and putted great. For sure, like that was the most I could have got out of the round.”
Odds:
There are some horses in this group. Zalatoris hit the ball so well (third in approach and fourth from tee to green) but again struggled with the putter.
He also got in some trouble at the last and made double there or he could have scared the lead by the end of the day. His ball-striking magic combined with his putting misery make him must-see TV the rest of the week.
Rahm looked uncomfortable all day and did not hit the ball particularly well. However, after returning to his old Odyssey putter, he was awesome on the greens and cobbled a round together when it looked like he didn’t have much in the tank.
Expert Predictions:
There are too many star players to count in the field at this year’s Players Championship, and almost all of them are playing well heading into Thursday’s first round. You can count Rory McIlroy among them.
The four-time major winner has only made two PGA Tour starts so far in 2022 (though he already has a win this season, at the CJ Cup in October), and he has yet to finish outside the top 15.
Last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, McIlroy contended for the win until a difficult final round dropped him to T13. With his game in good form, he has a great chance to win his second Players Championship title this week.
