PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Jordan Spieth thought he’d be the last to pay at TPC Sawgrass on a day by the big numbers. Instead, he got a break he couldn’t imagine Friday at the Players Championship.

Not everyone is so lucky, particularly Max McGreevy, who needed a birdie on the final hole just to par 90.

Spieth was just trying to avoid losing the cut. He birdied the two hole holes and was tied for the fourth, but hit his final par-5 hole in the 9th, was par-5 higher in his round and was in serious danger of missing the cut.

When his command was in the air, he was sure of it. The ball was cutting so far to the right, it was going into the cart path, and then the water that shouldn’t even be in play.

And then he was in the corridor. That ball bounced off the leg of a propeller, swept away from the water, and headed toward the short grass.

“I probably needed a birdie to make the cut, I really can’t have to just drop it in the right rough there and hit the third birdie,” Speth said. “It could have been made by one in a million. Instead, I ended up making 3.”

He ripped 3 woods from 277 yards to the right collar of the green, then stormed an eagle to reduce his damage to 75 and secure a spot in the middle of the pack for the weekend.

“I got a very lucky break in the ninth hour or I wouldn’t be playing the weekend,” said Spieth. For everything from now on is because he beat him.”

Some of the good rides have even been marked by a lot of trouble.

Victor Hovland finished his opening round Thursday with four birdies on his last five holes. Friday started with four birdies in its seven hole. He was tied for the lead, 5-under on the day through 11 holes.

He ended up with a score of 71 – this was anything but a simple innings.

Hovland nearly cut it from the back of the green into the water on the lead on the way to a double bogey at No. 4. He took a bogey from a fairway bunker on the next hole. Hovland hit a triple for bogey in the eighth.

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He was still in reasonable shape, but he wasn’t as good as he thought he was, and he wasn’t as good as he felt he was playing. This is the nature of the playing field.

“Obviously I’m in a good place, but I’m very disappointed that I didn’t finish it today,” said Hofland. “Because I played some really good golf.”

There was also some really bad golf.

McGreevy opened with 69 on Thursday. His 20 shots were even worse on Friday, when he tied the TPC Sawgrass Players Championship record. He made a double-bogey at No. 4, followed it up with a triple-bogey at No. 5, had problems with a short game of a double-bogey at No. 6 and left one in the bunker in No. 3 on the way to another double-bogey.

The good news? He broke his foot for birdie in the closed hole for a par of 90. He tied the record for the worst first-round score by Michael Campbell in 2003.

Lucas Herbert of Australia had already ventured into the opening round when he shot 82. He followed that up with an 85 – he also made a birdie on the last hole. His round included 8 on 17 par-3 when he hit a single putt and a long, and because it is an island green, they both had the same fate.

He also had a 9 on the fourth hole by hitting three balls into the water – one from the rough and two from the drop zone.

For 36 holes, his card contained scores of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

This is the nature of Sawgrass, which keeps everyone on their toes.

Jason Day, who has quietly worked his way into the world’s top 50, played alongside Herbert. The other member of the group was Aaron Wise, who on Thursday made the 10 on the 18th hole by hitting a three tee shot into the water.

Dai felt bad for both of them, but he tried to stay focused. For the most part it works. Then there was No. 7, where he was in the middle of the fairway for 147 yards, and made one bad touchdown.

Stupid enough, I was walking a par 7 and I was talking to Luke, my caddy. I said, ‘It’s really easy to do a quick double here.’ And I ended up doubling the hole. But that’s my point. It doesn’t take much to get yourself out of the situation. And when you’re out of position, it’s not like an easy ghost. Most of the time, you’re staring at a double.”

or worse.

Or in Spieth’s case, an eagle.

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