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It often feels like two weeks play out during these big events – there’s the actual tournament and everything that comes before it. Week 1 is done, and it was long. Now time for the *actual* golf. Let’s break it down ...

TPC Sawgrass toughens up

Before you see it, you hear it. There’s a certain *thud* that’s produced when a ball hits a firm green that is music to golf fans’ ears and inspires groans in the player locker room. That is ever-present at this year’s THE PLAYERS Championship, which has so far avoided any rain and is shining, literally. The greens already feature a brown-ish hue that looks glossy from the eye, and it only took a few shots to realize the ramifications. I watched Wyndham Clark hit a wedge from less than 100 yards on the 12th hole that bounced as high as the flagstick and rolled out further than Clark hoped or expected. For context: that’s higher than many 3-woods I’ve seen bounce into this hole in previous years.

Welcome to a new-look THE PLAYERS, at least for now. Thursday's rain could threaten the test that the TOUR cultivated. That’s just part of the deal with an outdoor sport, but everything that could be done has been done to make this a stern test. That should make golf fans giddy. It will put a premium on ball-striking, drawing out only the best talent who are in full control of their game. The course, playing this way, will deal out carnage but also leaves more than enough room to go low, creating the exact variance that all great tournaments produce.

There are a few subtle changes along with the firmer green surfaces. The rough is up to 4 inches. Per my colleague Jimmy Reinman, the agronomy team does not plan to mow the rough the rest of the week, so it will only get longer from here. One example of the impact that the lengthened rough will have: I watched one pro miss the fairway on the relatively short par-4 fourth. Normally, players can still easily clear the water that protects the green. From his lie, he was unable to clear it, immediately turning what's an easy hole from the fairway into a nightmare of an approach. For the fear of stating the obvious, driving accuracy will be paramount.

Buckle up and do your best anti-rain dance!

Playing through

• 🆕 PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp spoke on Wednesday, revealing the Future Competition Committee has reached “consensus” on six key themes that will define the TOUR’s future ...
• ‼️ Which trends are worth tracking at TPC Sawgrass this week? I dove in …
• ⏩ Max Homa is still trying to find his form, but I found what caused the downturn: chasing speed ...

McIlroy status uncertain

Rory McIlroy was noncommittal about his status for his Thursday afternoon tee time, saying he is a “game-time decision” after going through an abbreviated practice day at TPC Sawgrass. It was McIlroy’s first time swinging a club since he withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard last Saturday with a back injury.

McIlroy hit balls intermittently for about an hour on Wednesday afternoon, which included a 15-minute break. He spent most of the time hitting half wedge shots, but worked his way up to a 6-iron by the end. I watched much of his practice session, and it was rare to see McIlroy go more than two or three shots before pausing and stretching out his back. McIlroy said he is not in pain but is just managing muscle sensitivities. He also said his doctors assured him that he cannot cause any further damage by playing.

“It's purely muscular sort of discomfort and fatigue,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy said the back has gotten better each day, so he’s hoping for a similar result this week. From a viewing perspective, it seems like it will need to. McIlroy still hasn’t swung a driver since the injury. He’s going to need to do that!

Parting shots

• 🔙 Scottie Scheffler will go back to his old TaylorMade driver after he switched out of it at Bay Hill last week. Scheffler is notoriously stringent when it comes to changing clubs, and after one week in the new driver, he’s going back to what feels familiar.
• 🤷‍♂️ Jordan Spieth’s record here is confounding. He contended in his debut, but has never contended since. In 28 rounds since that first year, Spieth has ended the day in the top 10 just one time.
• 👀 Reminder of the new TOURCAST Range feature … every shot from the range is tracked this week. You can see the shot trail, ball speed, carry distance, launch angle and a bunch of other statistics. For the golf sicko, it’s paradise. Every day, we are going to track the biggest range rat. Congratulations, Brian Harman! You hit 205 range balls and therefore are Wednesday's range rat!