The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass got off to a record start with an amazing round by Roberto Castro and Tiger Woods is also in the mix on Thursday as Sergio Garcia stormed ahead to take the early second round lead with an 11 under par after shooting a seven under.
Castro was 10 back after two holes while shooting one under, while Woods was in third place tied with Lee Westwood through 17 holes four under on the day and nine under overall. Rory McIlroy had a great start with a six under on Thursday and he will tee off in the afternoon on Friday along with Zach Johnson, who is tied for ninth. Kevin Chappell is tied with Woods, while Marc Leishman is in ninth as well with a six under on the second day and six under total score.
Woods has not historically had success at the course, winning just once in 15 starts, but his play this season has contend at the Players Championship and he is now looking for his fourth win of the year. The tournament is the first time he is playing since his controversy at the Masters last month with his drop shit and two stroke penalty, but so far it seems as if none of that is phasing him in Florida.
Woods is back as the number one golfer in the world after his performance this year and he looks like he will be in the mix on the finals day and over the weekend as he turns in a solid round on Friday. The round on Thursday was his best score at the course since 2007 and he is looking to improve from last year when he finished in 40th at the tournament. Woods won in 2001 and finished second in 2000 and after shooting a five under, he is in great position to win, as he has done that 23 of the past 54 times he has done that on the first round.
Woods has finished in the top 10 once at the tournament once since winning the event and after missing out the previous two years, he finished in 40th last year. He was seen at the Met Gala on Monday and at after parties and while he was photographed looking a bit tipsy, that has not stopped him from starting off well at the tournament and his strong play could mean that Tiger is fully back to his pre-car accident form. He hasn't yet been able to get it together for a major, but this could be another step for him on that road.
Woods won at the Farmers Insurance Open and at the WGC-championship before winning at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, which he has done many times and was his third of the season. Woods has looked strong while hitting drives and he has been accurate on fairways and while putting and that strong play could have him in the top spot come Sunday.