Maverick McNealy and Lee Hodges grabbed a share of the first-round lead at the 2026 Players Championship, both carding 5-under 67s on Thursday at TPC Sawgrass.
The American duo holds a one-shot advantage heading into Friday's second round at golf's unofficial fifth major championship.
Justin Thomas finds himself in familiar territory near the top of a Players Championship leaderboard, posting a 4-under 68 to sit in a tie for third place. The two-time major champion is joined at 4-under by Russell Henley, Taylor Moore, and Sahith Theegala.
Moore still has two holes remaining in his opening round, while Theegala has four holes left to complete on Friday morning.
Defending champion Xander Schauffele made a solid start to his title defense, posting 3-under through 13 holes before play was suspended due to darkness. The Olympic gold medalist will need to complete his final five holes Friday morning.
Other prominent players at 3-under include Jacob Bridgeman, Austria's Sepp Straka, Germany's Matthias Schmid, and Austin Smotherman, though several still have holes remaining in their opening rounds.
The marquee groupings struggled somewhat in the opening round. England's Matt Fitzpatrick managed a 2-under 70, while Japan's Hideki Matsuyama sits at 2-under with five holes left to play in his first round.
Max Homa finished his opening round at 1-under 71, leaving him six shots behind the leaders after day one.
The Players Championship continues Friday with the second round, as players look to position themselves for the weekend at one of golf's most prestigious events. Those who didn't finish their opening rounds due to darkness will complete them Friday morning before the second round begins.
With 54 holes remaining, the leaderboard remains tightly packed, setting up what could be another thrilling finish at TPC Sawgrass's iconic 17th island green and demanding finishing stretch.