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SCMP Sport

China’s sole participant at this year’s The Players Championship got off to a rough start on Thursday as Zhang Xinjun signed for a 76 four-over par, good enough only for a share on 112th place in the field of 153.
It was Sergio Garcia, who capped a sparkling seven-under par 65 with his second eagle of the day, that seized a two-shot lead after the first round at TPC Sawgrass.
Zhang’s card detailed just one birdie, a four at the par-five 2nd, as well as five bogeys. The Shanxi man now has a mountain to climb to make the weekend in Florida on his debut at the prestigious event.
The 33-year-old endured a torrid time around the turn, carding bogeys at 8, 9, 11 and 12. But recovered well to see out his first round with a string of pars from 13 onwards.
Tiger Woods wouldn’t have dominated the likes of Bryson DeChambeau the way he did in his pomp
Zhang, currently ranked 248 in the world, tied for 30th place at last month’s Puerto Rico Open, but has failed to make the cut in four of his seven outings so far in 2021.
It was an even more trying day for Taiwan’s C.T. Pan. His six-over par 78 was good enough only for a share of 134th place, and a card featuring four bogeys and a double-bogey looks to have brought an early end to his Championship after day one.


Garcia polished things off with an 18-foot eagle putt at the ninth, his final hole of the day. He launched his closing burst with a 16-foot birdie at the seventh and drained a 17-footer for birdie at eight.
“I’ve always said it, Valderrama and this course are some of my top favourite ones and for some reason it just kind of fits my eye,” Garcia said.
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“I see what I want to do pretty much every hole and then it’s a matter of doing it, but definitely I feel more comfortable and I’ve done well here. So all those things help.”
Garcia followed his first birdie of the day at 15 with a nine-foot eagle at 16. He followed up his lone bogey of the day at the first with a birdie at the second.
And after his bravura finish, he was 14-strokes in front of Rory McIlroy, the defending champion after his victory in 2019 thanks to the derailment of the 2020 edition by the coronavirus pandemic.
McIlroy opened his round with a double-bogey six at the 10th, where he hit his tee shot into the bushes and had to take a penalty.
After a three-putt bogey at 13, things got even worse with a quadruple-bogey at 18 – where he hit two balls into the water and finally three-putted.
“I mean, regardless if you take that 18th hole out it still wasn’t a very good day,” said McIlroy, who said he just wasn’t playing well enough to overcome mistakes.


“Very hard, especially when you’re trying to figure it out as you go along on course, right?” he said. “You’re trying to figure it out but you still know you’re not really sure where the shots are coming from.”
Harman was one-over through seven holes after three bogeys and two birdies, but he launched a run of four straight birdies at the ninth, then added birdies at 15 and 16 before saving par at 18 to finish five-under.
“I made a good swing on eight and then made two really good swings on nine,” Harman said. “And after I drove it well on 10, I felt like I could kind of turn it loose a little bit and that’s kind of what happened.”
Ireland’s Shane Lowry twice got to five-under, regaining a share of second with a birdie at 17 before a closing bogey left him in a group on 68 alongside England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick and Canadian Corey Conners.
Bryson DeChambeau, coming off a victory in the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday, headed a group on 69 that also included Lee Westwood of England, Denny McCarthy and Tom Hoge.

World number one Dustin Johnson settled for a one-over par 73, while second-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain, three-over through 10 holes, had four birdies coming in before a bogey at 18 in an even-par 72.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama, who had fired a first-round 63 to lead last year before the tournament was halted due to Covid-19, opened with a four-over 76.
TPC Sawgrass’ signature 17th hole, with it’s treacherous island green, produced plenty of heartache, no one feeling it more than South Korean An Byeong-hun, who put four balls in the water on the way to an 11 at the par-three hole.
An, who then capped his 11-over 83 with a double-bogey six at 18, was able to laugh later, posting a video on Twitter of his multiple miscues at 17.
Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse


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China’s Zhang Xinjun endured a difficult first round in Florida at The Players Championship. Photo: AFP

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 11: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland talks to Sergio Garcia of Spain during the first round of THE PLAYERS Championship on THE PLAYERS Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 11, 2021 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Sam Greenwood/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

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Zhang Jienalin in action during the first round of the 26th Volvo China Open at Genzon Golf Club in Shenzhen, China. Photos: Volvoingolf

Zhang Jienalin during the first round of the 26th Volvo China Open, Genzon Golf Club, Shenzhen, China. Mandatory credit: Volvoingolf

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China’s Li Haotong Li hits from the 14th tee during the PGA Championship second round. Photo: AFP

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - AUGUST 07: Haotong Li of China looks on from the 12th tee during the second round of the 2020 PGA Championship at TPC Harding Park on August 07, 2020 in San Francisco, California. Tom Pennington/Getty Images/AFP == FOR NEWSPAPERS, INTERNET, TELCOS & TELEVISION USE ONLY ==

epa06345096 Li Haotong of China hits a shot during the UBS Hong Kong Open golf championship at the Fanling Golf Club in Fanling, Hong Kong, China, 23 November 2017. The UBS Hong Kong Open runs from 23 to 26 November 2017. EPA-EFE/ALEX HOFFORD

Sport

Golf

Zhang Xinjun signs for a four-over par 76 on a suspended first day’s play
Sergio Garcia lights up the Stadium Course as he takes solid lead


Zhang Xinjun signs for a four-over par 76 on a suspended first day’s play as Sergio Garcia lights up the Stadium Course and takes solid lead.


Bryson DeChambeau

Jon Rahm

Sergio Garcia

The Players: China’s Zhang stumbles on debut as Garcia surges to two-shot lead

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Zhang Xinjun signs for a four-over par 76 on a suspended first day’s play Sergio Garcia lights up the Stadium Course as he takes solid lead

Zhang Xinjun signs for a four-over par 76 on a suspended first day’s play

Sergio Garcia lights up the Stadium Course as he takes solid lead