The Players Championship
Sawgrass Stadium Course
Ponte Vedra Beach,
Florida
26th - 29th March 1998

Par 72 Prize Money $4 million

First Round Report

First Round Scores
Norman & Elkington withdraw

Eagle on 18 puts Glen Day one shot in front

Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, 26th March 1998 - Just when it looked like Glen Day would merely be another one of the mass of 43 people to break par in today's first round of The Players Championship, he finished with a flourish to be alone atop the leaderboard.

Day holed a 7-iron from 180 yards for the only eagle on the 18th hole at the Stadium Course in the history of The Players Championship and shot a 66 for the first-round lead by one stroke over Fred Couples and Rocco Mediate.

A total of 7,501 competitors had played No. 18 in the last 17 years at the Stadium Course without making an eagle in The Players Championship -- until Day.

Couples posted a 67 early and it held up before Day put together a wacky stretch of golf during which he chipped in for a birdie on No. 15, made another birdie on the island-green 17th hole and then closed with another 2 on No. 18.

"I hit the shot exactly like I wanted to," Day said about the 7-iron that found the cup. "But I didn't think it would get to the pin. It was just a lucky shot."

Mediate, who put away his long putter on Sunday night and went back to a conventional shaft, grabbed a share of second place with Couples when he birdied the ninth hole, his final of the day.

"I look like a golfer on the greens now," Mediate said after needing only 26 putts. "I putted as good as I've putted ever and that's what it takes."

Day goes into Friday's second round with 42 players within five strokes of him.

Jerry Kelly was at 68, while Ben Crenshaw, Billy Mayfair, Phil Mickelson and David Duval were in a large group at 69. Jim Furyk was among those at 70. Ernie Els, Tom Watson and John Daly were in a large group at 71, and Tiger Woods was five strokes back.

Day, who is in his fifth year on the PGA Tour and has yet to win in 124 events, was on target with his irons all day. All six of his birdie putts were from 10 feet or less and he used only 23 putts -- a number helped by his two hole outs from the fairway.

The luck of the 7-iron on No. 18 compensated for the bad decision Day made on No. 5 when he tried to hit a 3-wood out of the rough and plopped it into the water, making a double bogey.

"I should have laid up with an 8-iron or 9-iron and made my bogey," Day said.

Couples, a two-time winner at The Players Championship, once again looked completely comfortable on the Stadium Course.

"This is a good course for me," Couples said after making birdies on four of his first six holes.

"With that tee time the course was perfect," he said about getting out before 8 a.m. when the TPC layout was still relatively soft and the greens more receptive than they were as the day wore on.

Els, the winner last week at Bay Hill, made bogeys on two of his last three holes and still finished at 1-under.

"That's not the finish I wanted," Els said. "But I'm still under par. It just didn't go my way today."

Woods also had trouble closing out his round, playing the final five holes 2-over.

"I was fortunate to shoot even par," he said.

Couples, who finished the dangerous final three holes 3-under when he won here in 1996, birdied No. 16 and the 17th hole on putts inside 10 feet and then made a great up-and-down from 55 yards on the final hole to save par.

"Those holes have always been good to me," Couples said.

Daly, who had his last drink of alcohol after the first round of the 1997 Players Championship, when he smashed up his hotel room and ended up in a hospital emergency room, played the back nine first and shot a strong 33, needing only 11 putts.

But a double bogey on No. 4, when he hit the water on a 76-yard sand wedge shot, and a bogey on the next hole after another errant approach shot, kept him from being closer to the lead.

"I was nervous," Daly said. "It's a good round to get over."

The players who got to go at the Stadium Course when it was softer in the morning will have to play it in the afternoon in Friday's second round.

"The greens are fast and getting firmer," Couples said. "I need to play a very good round in the afternoon tomorrow."

Day, on the other hand, gets to go out early.

"Theoretically, I have a chance to go out in the morning and put up a good score," he said.

But then again, tomorrow is another day.