Six time Major winner Nick Faldo headed the European Tour challenge at Sawgrass when he returned to complete a first round 68 in the first round of the storm-interrupted Players Championship at Sawgrass to lie in a tie for fourth place, only four shots behind leader Phil Mickelson.
The 44 year old Englishman completed 13 holes on the first day before darkness fell and did not have the best of starts when he resumed his first round, dropping a shot at the 14th to fall back to three under par. But Faldo regained his composure and his place in the top five with a birdie four at the 16th.
Mickelson, like Faldo, also returned to complete his first round and three birdies in his final seven holes saw him move into a two shot lead on 64 at the head of affairs, his closest challenger being Chris DiMarco on 66 with Scott Hoch one shot further back after his opening 67
Further down the leaderboard, Sergio Garcia, Padraig Harrington and Colin Montgomerie kept the European banner flying with rounds of two under par 70.
Harrington was left to rue a missed birdied opportunity from inside four feet at the treacherous par three 17th with its island green, while a bogey at the last dropped him from the multiple tie for the lead.
However the Irishman was satisfied with his start, if not his short game. He said: “It’’s a good way to begin the tournament but I have to work on my chipping. It was atrocious.”
Montgomerie, meanwhile, was smiling contentedly at the end of his first competitive round in the United States since threatening to boycott American tournaments due to the heckling he has had to contend with from the galleries in the past, and more recently in the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play.
The Scot was delighted to have coped so well with the difficult windy conditions and to have been treated with the respect from the galleries he wanted.
"The fans were very positive indeed. I'm glad to see that and there's no reason they shouldn't be.
"I had an awful lot of support and comments such as 'glad to see you' and 'good luck'. It was a very difficult day with the wind, but I really like this course. I'm very positive playing here."
The Sawgrass finish can be a real card-wrecker, but Montgomerie chipped in from 20 feet for a birdie at the 15th, two putted the long 16th for another birdie and made solid pars at the island green 17th and demanding final hole.
Harrington was off to a real flyer with birdies at the second, third and fourth. Another came at the seventh once the storm had passed over, but he bogeyed the next two to turn in 34 and needed a four at the 535 yard 11th to get back into a share for the lead.
Ultimately, his missed chance at the 17th and his last hole bogey proved costly, but with no-one breaking clear in the tough conditions – defending champion Tiger Woods was a late starter due to the delays – both Europeans were in strong positions at the end of an incomplete day.
US Open Champion, Retief Goosen, opened with a steady if unspectacular one under par 71 while Michael Campbell of New Zealand and Sweden’’s Per-Ulrik Johansson opened with level par 72s. Also on that mark was Miguel Angel Jiménez, who had an extraordinary finish to his round.
The 38 year old Spaniard aced the treacherous water surrounded 17th to move to two under par for his round, before proceeding to double bogey the last to have to settle for an opening round of 72.
Elsewhere José Maria Olazábal, already a winner on the US PGA Tour this season, carded a one over par 73, the same score as 1999 Open Champion, Paul Lawrie of Scotland.
Lee Westwood and playing partner Bernhard Langer managed only three over par scores of 75 and they were later joined on that mark by Ireland’’s Paul McGinley.
