What a crazy day to be a Max.
Max Homa and Max Greyserman produced Hitchcockian scorecards in Round 1 of The Players Championship, filled with thrills, horror and anxiety.
Homa began his day with a hole-out eagle at the par-4 10th, his first hole of the championship. He then birdied the 11th, doubled the 12th, bogeyed the 14th and doubled the 15th.
After turning in 2-over 38, Homa made another bogey at the par-4 first before a birdie at the second and then four consecutive scorecard circles on Nos. 5-8 (with a brief weather suspension included).
The day ended, however, with a bogey-6 on the par-5 ninth. In all, it was a one-eagle, six-birdie, two-bogey, two-double, 1-under 71.
“I’ve been playing really well, so it was very frustrating how erratic it was,” Homa said. " ... it was one of the weirder days I’ve ever had.
“You really have to have conversations with yourself that you’ve got to start over. Some of the doubles I really didn’t do that much wrong. My second double I whiffed a 3-footer. That was the painful part. But I didn’t hit an awful tee shot, didn’t hit an awful second shot, it buries under the lip, did a good job of giving myself 3 feet for bogey. But it’s easier said than done. Pretty upset, and you’ve just got to remind yourself that it wasn’t that far off.”
Greyserman, who started on the front nine, birdied five of his first seven holes to grab the early lead at 5 under. By the time he stood on the tee at the par-3 17th, however, he was 2 over for the tournament.
Greyserman played Nos. 10-15 in 7 over par, with three bogeys and two doubles. He stuffed his shot on 17 to make birdie and finished with a ho-hum par for a 1-over 73.
A third Max in the field, Max McGreevy, was among the afternoon wave.