PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Russell Henley, making only his second career Players Championship start, took the early lead in the opening round Thursday, shooting a 7-under-par 65 at the TPC Sawgrass.
Making his round even more remarkable is that Henley, who shot 69-76 en route to missing the cut last year, carded a double-bogey on the seventh hole. He recovered by shooting a 30 on the back nine with six birdies and no bogeys. Overall, he had nine birdies in the round.
“I think I’m a little bit different player this year,’’ Henley said. “I’m a little more comfortable. I think I know my game a little bit better, and hopefully I can make the weekend and have a good next three days. I got off to a good start. … I felt really comfortable on the greens. I made some good par saves that kept my round going.
“As long as I keep feeling comfortable with the putter, I think I can putt well on these greens. Hopefully, I can do that for the next three days.’’
Henley, who won the Honda Classic in a playoff in March, said he “didn’t really notice’’ how hot he was on the back nine.
“I knew I was playing well and felt really comfortable on the greens, but it was one of those back nines where you kind of get to 18 and I just realized that I had a putt for 7‑under, so that was pretty cool,’’ he said. “It didn’t really hit me until the last hole. I felt comfortable, I didn’t really feel that nervous. I just tried to just keep it going, and even if I made a bogey or double or whatever, just stayed positive, because I know I’m playing well, it’s going to add up in the end.’’
Henley said he made his first Players Championship a bigger deal than he should have — possibly resulting in the missed cut.
“I think I have my life a little bit more in perspective than last year,’’ he said. “I thought that this was like the biggest thing going, but I feel like I’m just trying to enjoy the opportunity. I’m getting more and more comfortable out here and realizing what works for me and what doesn’t work. A lot of these older guys, the guys you see playing really consistently, they have figured out what works for them and they just kind of stick with it. I’m still figuring out what mine is.’’