PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Even with the game’s most surreal mulligan Rory McIlroy’s title defense still appears doomed.
The 2019 Players Championship winner struggled to an eventful 79 on Day 1 at TPC Sawgrass. Only six players from the morning wave posted worse scores and he’ll begin the second round at least 14 shots off the lead.
It was a nightmare start for McIlroy, who began his round on No. 10 with a drive that sailed left of the fairway and into a wild area on his way to a double-bogey 6.
“It’s very hard [to recover from a bad start], especially when you're trying to figure it out as you go along on course, right?