(Photo credit: Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Lucas Glover, J.J. Spaun and Camilo Villegas formed a tie for the lead with World No. 2 Rory McIlroy lurking one stroke off the pace after Thursday's opening round of The Players Championship.

Former U.S. Open champion Glover, fellow American Spaun and Colombian Villegas each fired 6-under-par 66s on a sun-splashed day at TPC Sawgrass, where the fairways ran fast but the greens were receptive to approach shots.

Northern Ireland's McIlroy was among many players who also took advantage of the conditions, mixing seven birdies with two bogeys for a 67 that put him level with Billy Horschel, winner of the 2014 Tour Championship and FedEx Cup, and Australian Min Woo Lee.

Glover, enjoying a new lease of life since he switched to a long putter in 2023, played in the early wave and moved one stroke clear of the elite field when he sank an 18-footer at the iconic par-3 17th.

After benefiting from a tailwind as he teed off at the par-4 18th, the 45-year-old then struck a 9-iron to 7 feet before draining the putt.

'I played nice,' Glover said upon ending his round. 'That's the thing about this place is there's always some really good scores and always some really bad scores. The margins are razor thin here, akin to say Augusta or Bay Hill. You get off just a little, you can make big numbers in a hurry,' added Glover, whose first-round scorecard included nine birdies and three bogeys.

'So I happened to have a bunch of good numbers today and a bunch of good yardages and was able to be aggressive and I putted great. But any time you get off to a good start, it gives you confidence.'

McIlroy, who won the Players Championship in 2019 and owns four top-10s at the venue, signed off in magical style with a brilliant and unexpected birdie at the par-4 18th.

After his drive ended up on pine straw among trees to the right of the fairway, he conjured a superb second shot with a 5-iron which finished 8 feet from the cup before he buried the putt.

'I was just trying to chip-and-run a 5-iron up around the front of the green and make 4, and get out of there,' McIlroy told reporters about his final birdie of the day. 'It was a bonus to get it up on the green and hole the putt was a lovely way to finish.

'I certainly didn't drive it the way I wanted to. Didn't hit it in as many fairways as I would have liked. I think with the greens being so receptive, you can get away with it a little bit. I'm not going to be able to get away with it for the rest of the week. Sort of rode my luck out there a little bit.'

Huge galleries followed McIlroy, who played in a marquee grouping on Thursday alongside World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and third-ranked Xander Schauffele.

Reigning champion Scheffler, who is bidding for an unprecedented third successive Players victory, returned a 69 while Schauffele endured a topsy-turvy day on his way to a 72 that included four birdies, two bogeys and a double at the last.

Fan favorite Rickie Fowler carded a 68 and was part of a massive tie at 4 under two shots off the pace.

The elite Players Championship field is one of the strongest in the game with the top 10 golfers in the world rankings -- and 48 of the top 50 -- assembled at the TPC Sawgrass for the tournament's 51st edition.

However, 33rd-ranked Jason Day of Australia withdrew just one hour before he was scheduled to tee off on Thursday morning due to an illness.

--Mark Lamport-Stokes, Field Level Media