Tano Goya (PGA Tour Photo)

Also at Dye's Valley Course, Hayden Springer and 2017 U.S. Amateur Champion and former Clemson Tiger Doc Redman shot 4-under 66.  

Harrison Endycott and Tano Goya shot 5-under 65 to take the one-shot lead. Both golfers played their first round at Dye's Valley Course. 

“I played pretty nice today, just didn’t really make any mistakes,” Endycott told Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union. “It was just a day of kind of hang in there … don’t get greedy.”

Endycott is guaranteed Korn Ferry Tour status for next season.

Goya has played on several international tours and lived in the area for over two years.

“Hit the ball great,” Goya told Smits. “Solid ball-striking got me through many fairways and greens, so that was pretty much the key today.”

Max McGreevy was the top scorer at Sawgrass Country Club, shooting a 4-under 66.

Danny Walker, Blaine Hale Jr., Patrick Cover, and Bryce Hendrix are T6 at 3-under. Ten golfers are 2-under at T10.

The wind was blowing, and the conditions were tough at both courses, but Sawgrass averaged 73.099 in the first round, while the Valley averaged 70.791. Sawgrass had 38 double-bogeys to the Valley’s 32 and eight scores of triple-bogey or higher, to three at the Valley.

Players at Dye's Valley had 227 birdies and nine eagles, while players at Sawgrass recorded only 170 birdies and one eagle.

The only eagle at Sawgrass was a hole-in-one at No. 3 by Noah Hoffman from 193 yards out.

Of the 31 golfers that finished their rounds under par, only seven played their first rounds at Sawgrass Country Club.

Notable players

Former Stanford standout Isaiah Salinda got off to a solid start, shooting 2-under 68, and is T10 with ten other golfers. 

Former PGA Tour winners Austin Cook, Brice Garnett, Richy Werenski, and Patton Kizzire all shot over par for the opening rounds and will need some low scorers in the next round to get back into the hunt.

Sam Bennett, former Texas A&M standout and 2023 Masters Low Amateur, shot a 1-under 69 and is T20.

2023 NCAA Division I Individual champion Fred Biondi is even-par and T32, along with former PGA Tour winner and half of the YouTube duo "The Bryan Brothers" Wesley Bryan.