A new beginning: Spieth ready to turn the page

Rory McIlroy has struggled to get off to a strong start recently, and it looked like the trend may continue at this week’s World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions. McIlroy bogeyed the par-5 18th, his ninth hole, to make the turn in even-par. He made three birdies and three bogeys on his front nine while the rest of the field was going low on a calm day at Sheshan International Golf Club. RELATED: Li takes lead in Round 1 | Im in the mix once again | Leaderboard | Tee times | How to watch McIlroy made a move on his second nine, making five birdies in a six-hole stretch to shoot 31. His 67 put him in seventh place, three shots behind leader Haotong Li. McIlroy started his charge at the par-5 second hole, where he hit his second shot to 5 feet. He missed the short eagle putt, but it was the first of four consecutive birdies. McIlroy hit less than half his fairways Thursday (6 of 14) and 12 greens in regulation. “I got off to a bit of a slow start,â€� McIlroy said. “The course is set up tough. The rough is pretty thick in areas. The greens are pretty firm and I think I went out with the mind-set of sort of trying to play my way into the round. I did that. I birdied the holes that I should birdie on the back nine, apart from 18. … I got myself to under par, then hit a bad drive on 18. But made a good bogey in the end. “Once I made the turn, things started to go for me a little bit more. After nine, I didn’t expect to shoot 5 under par, but it’s nice to shoot that score and get right into the tournament.â€� McIlroy began his FedExCup defense with a third-place finish at last week’s ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP. He had to dig himself out of a hole, though, after a first-round 72 that left him eight shots behind co-leaders Tiger Woods and Gary Woodland. McIlroy shot 65-63-67 in the final three rounds to finish six behind Woods. “The last few tournaments I’ve played, I’ve had a bad opening round and then been trying to play catch up,â€� McIlroy said. “At least now, I’m right in the thick of things from the start, which is a better place to be.â€� McIlroy also is in a better position that last year, when he got off to an inauspicious start in his first start of the season. He shot 10-over 298 to finish T54 at last year’s HSBC Champions, one of just three finishes outside the top 25 in 19 starts.

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Laurent Hurtubise may be an amateur, but he hit the shot of the day at The American Express. Hurtubise, who was born with one arm, made a hole-in-one on the 151-yard fourth hole of PGA West’s Stadium Course. Amateurs compete alongside the pros in a pro-am competition at The American Express. Hurtubise has played in the event multiple times, also holing a shot from 60 yards in 2018. Hurtbutise was playing with Troy Merritt, who called it “The coolest experience I’ve had on the golf course.” Hurtubise’s right arm ends just below his elbow, but he quickly found sports were a way for him to fit in with other kids. “As a kid, sports was a way for me to prove that even though I had a difference that I could perform as well as normal people … as they call them,” Hurtubise told the Desert Sun. “People have differences and handicaps and whatever, but it was my way to prove that I could be as good as everybody else.” He played hockey and baseball, but golf became his favorite sport when he turned 11. He takes a full, one-handed lefty swing that can produce drives of about 230 yards. He also uses golf to inspire amputees or others without both arms. He’s talked to kids and parents at a Shriners hospital near his home in Montreal about overcoming a disability. “It does feel fulfilling when someone tells me they’ve been inspired to play a sport because of me,â€� he told the Desert Sun.

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The strongest field in golf hits the course Thursday for Round 1 of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Stadium Course. The star-studded event will see the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler, Jordan Spieth and reigning FedExCup champion Justin Thomas take on the Pete Dye masterpiece. Si Woo Kim is the defending champion. Here’s everything you need to know as the first round gets underway. Round 1 leaderboard Round 1 tee times HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN (ALL TIMES ET) PGA TOUR LIVE: 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m. TELEVISION: 1 p.m. – 7 p.m. (GC, DirecTV) RADIO: 12 p.m. – 7 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio) FACEBOOK WATCH: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. TWITTER 360: Live stream from Thursday-Sunday NOTABLE GROUPINGS 8:27 a.m.: Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth 1:52 p.m.: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rickie Fowler MUST-READS Roundtable: Tiger, Phil expectations Patience is key to winning THE PLAYERS Spieth says winning THE PLAYERS harder than winning a major Tiger, Phil pairing brings back memories of 2001

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