2026 Players: Rory McIlroy Struggles Coming Back From Injury, Five Tied for Lead After First Round

Rory McIlroy shot a 2-over 74 on Thursday. | Jeff Romance-Imagn Images

The first round of the 2026 Players Championship is just about complete, with five players currently sharing the lead at 5 under.

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are not among that group as they both struggled a bit on Thursday. Scheffler finished his first round with an even-par 72 and had some issues off the tee throughout his round. McIlroy, meanwhile, was able to play after dealing with a back injury but he finished with a 2-over 74.

Maverick McNealy, Lee Hodges, Sepp Straka, Sahith Theegala, and Austin Smotherman all have a share of the lead. Smotherman, however, will have a 14-foot birdie putt on the par-5 ninth hole (his 18th hole) on Friday morning that would give him the lead as he was unable to finish his round due to darkness.

Catch up on all of the first round action with our live blog from the day.