PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Florida: In a star-studded field, unheralded Roberto Castro matched the course record with a nine-under par 63 yesterday to seize the first-round lead at the Players Championship.
Castro, making his debut in the US PGA Tour’s $9.5m flagship event, equalled the record set by Fred Couples in 1992 and matched by Australian Greg Norman in 1994.
His effort gave him a three-shot lead over world number two Rory McIlroy and American Zach Johnson, who shared second place on six-under 66.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy, who failed to make the cut in three prior appearances in the tournament at TPC Sawgrass, said he benefitted from perfect scoring conditions.
“It was benign out there,” he said.
World number one Tiger Woods, who won the title in 2001, bogeyed his final hole to fall into a group of players sharing fourth place on five-under 67.AFP
