Fleetwood, Bradley lead, Rory lurks as Players showdown opens

Fleetwood and Bradley shared lead after Thursday's opening round of the US PGA Players Championship.

MIAMI (AFP) - Britain s Tommy Fleetwood fired a seven-under-par 65 to share the lead with American Keegan Bradley after Thursday s opening round of the US PGA Players Championship with Rory McIlroy lurking two adrift.

Fleetwood s bogey-free round at TPC Sawgrass included birdies on six of his last nine holes after starting at the 10th hole at the Ponte Vedra Beach layout.

"If I was going to pick a start, that would be it," Fleetwood said. "I ve done a good job of keeping myself in it."

The 28-year-old Englishman was matched in the afternoon wave by 2011 PGA Championship winner Bradley, who had five birdies and an eagle in a nine-hole run.

"It was one of those rounds that just felt easy. It was a day where everything went right," Bradley said. "I just felt really comfortable."

Sharing third on 66 were South Korean An Byeong-hun and American Brian Harman with four-time major winner McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Americans Ryan Moore and Vaughn Taylor on 67.

"I felt like I left a few out there," McIlroy said. "I played well. I m off to a good start."

Moore aced the par-3 17th hole with its famed island green on the fly, his fifth PGA hole-in-one.

Fleetwood, seventh at last year s Players and third last week at Bay Hill, seeks his first US PGA title after four wins on the European Tour, the most recent of them last year defending a title at Abu Dhabi.

"It s clearly the next step for me to win over here," Fleetwood said. "But it s not easy. I ve got to keep plugging away and focusing on myself and hopefully that will come.

"I feel like I ve been doing a lot of good things. Sometimes you need to just shoot some low scores. That seems like it s coming. Just try and keep that going."

Fleetwood managed only one birdie on his first nine, that coming at the par-4 12th when he found a greenside bunker off the tee then blasted out two feet from the cup and tapped in the putt.

Fleetwood birdied the first hole from 20 feet and had a two-putt birdie from 60 feet at the par-5 second, then put his approach at the par-4 fifth to three feet to set up another.

A spectacular closing birdie run saw last year s US Open runner-up sink a 15-foot putt at seven, a 28-footer at the par-3 eighth and blast out of a bunker to 17 feet and make another putt at the par-5 ninth to end his day.

"You get on a run like seven, eight and nine and it s a great feel around here," Fleetwood said. "I stayed patient and the wind picked up. The course got tougher but I drove it so well I was always in good position. It s a massive key around here."

Bradley, who also began on the back nine, tapped in birdies at 11 and 12 then took his lone bogey at the par-3 13th, missing a seven-footer for par.

He answered with a 13-foot birdie at 15, a 12-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th "that was a nice kickstart" and a 12-foot birdie putt at 18.

"Any time you birdie (18) it s like making an eagle," said Bradley, who later added birdies at one and seven.

McIlroy, also a back-nine starter, toured the famed Sawgrass layout bogey-free.

McIlroy made five-foot birdie putts at 11 and 12 and sank a nine-footer on the famed 17th. He blasted out of a bunker to six feet to and birdied the second then hit an eight-footer to birdie the fifth.

"I m comfortable out there with my attitude and I m playing well," said McIlroy.

After making changes last year to correct struggles, McIlroy feels on the right track with the Masters, and a chance to complete a Career Grand Slam, just a month away.

"I feel like I ve been on a journey for the past six or seven months to get where I can challenge to be the best player in the world and win tournaments like this," McIlroy said. "It s about staying patient."

Former world number one Tiger Woods opened with a 70. The 14-time major winner birdied 16 and 17 but missed a four-footer for par to bogey 18.

"It was tricky out there," Woods said. "Greens got a little bit on the bumpier side toward the end and it became a bit more challenging to make the putts."

American Harris English had an albatross at the par-5 11th, holing out from the fairway from 236 yards on his way to an opening 70.