Straka, Theegala Share Lead at Players Championship

Theegala, Straka share 5-under 67 at TPC Sawgrass

Sepp Straka and Sahith Theegala lead the way at 5-under par 67 at the US PGA Players Championship, with play suspended due to darkness.

“I've got to hit some fairways. I lived on the edge today...”

Austria's Sepp Straka and American Sahith Theegala are tied for the lead at the Players Championship, along with Americans Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, and Austin Smotherman, with a score of 5-under par 67. The players are competing at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.

The leaders had impressive rounds, with Straka saving par seven times and chipping in for eagle, while Theegala started strong with three consecutive birdies and made an incredible eagle hole-out from 99 yards. Play was suspended due to darkness, and the players will resume their rounds on Friday morning.

Austin Smotherman was five-under through 17 holes when darkness forced him to halt play, with a birdie putt from just inside 15 feet at the par-five ninth poised to give him the lead. “Just getting so dark,” Smotherman said, deciding it wasn't worth finishing in the dark, preferring to tackle the fresh greens in the morning.

A 21-minute afternoon rain delay had already made the green speeds tricky to read for players who teed off later, adding to the challenges of the round.

Sepp Straka got off to a hot start with back-to-back birdies, followed by an eagle on the par-five 16th hole from a 50-foot chip, and capped his round with a par save from 66 yards at the 18th.

“I really did not hit it very well today,” Straka said. “I was able to recover from some errant tee shots and put a good number on the board.

“I've got to hit some fairways. I lived on the edge today. Had a lot of up and downs, some from 90 and 100 yards. You won't survive long doing that.”

Sahith Theegala started strong with three consecutive birdies and made an incredible eagle hole-out from 99 yards at the 12th hole.

“I got away with one there,” he said. “I landed it so far right that it took a huge hop left. If that didn't crash the pin there that was 25 feet down the ridge. That was a huge bonus. It felt great to see one go in.”

Lee Hodges was on fire early, birdying four of the first seven holes and capping his round with a six-foot birdie putt at the 18th to join the leaders.

“I'm honestly just happy to be in the position I'm in,” Hodges said. “I knew my game was there. I was just kind of waiting for it all to come together.”

Maverick McNealy's solid round featured six birdies and just one bogey.

“I just mastered the variability of what the golf course threw at us really well,” he said. “It was a mixed bag of everything.”

Justin Thomas, a two-time PGA Championship winner, bounced back from a rough week at Bay Hill, sharing sixth place with a score of 68, alongside Russell Henley, Cameron Young, and Taylor Moore.

“Literally every single thing you can imagine I did quite a bit better,” Thomas said.

Gotta call bank, @SRTheegala! 😂#THEPLAYERSpic.twitter.com/uL7wmBoRV1

— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERS) March 12, 2026

Scottie Scheffler, the world's top-ranked golfer, got his Players Championship campaign off to a rocky start with an even-par 72 on Thursday. He struggled off the tee, hitting only seven fairways and going right seven times. Scheffler switched back to his old TaylorMade Qi10 driver after experimenting with the newer Qi4D model, citing trust issues with the new club.

“I did some good things,” Scheffler said. “But overall I felt like I gave away some shots.”

McIlroy Struggles with Rustiness

Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, shot 2-over 74 at The Players Championship, citing rust rather than back issues, which had forced him to withdraw from the Arnold Palmer Invitational last weekend.

Gotta call bank, @SRTheegala! 😂#THEPLAYERSpic.twitter.com/uL7wmBoRV1

— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERS) March 12, 2026

“Just felt unbelievably rusty out there. I'm glad I got through the round,” McIlroy said.

“I would say the most discomfort was when the ball was below my feet or with chipping. Just like getting down a little bit to it.”

Scottie Scheffler's Players

Championship got off to a rough start - he shot even-par 72, hitting just 7 fairways and going right 7 times. He switched back to his trusty TaylorMade Qi10 driver, ditching the newer Qi4D model. 

“Teed it up on 11, and took one practice swing, and I just knew it was gone,” he said.

Ryan Fox, the New Zealand golfer, withdrew from the Players Championship due to kidney stones, which he revealed on Instagram