Crane shoots 65, has 1-shot lead at Sawgrass

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Ben Crane plays his best golf when he keeps it simple.

His day began with a drive down PGA Tour Boulevard on the back of his caddie’s moped because his wife had the car. Once he got on the TPC Sawgrass, he kept the ball on land — not easy to do on a course where 89 balls found the water — and then got it into the hole so quickly he needed only 22 putts.

He left the thrills, and the spills, to everyone else Thursday at The Players Championship.

“A lot of people say ’horses for courses,’ ” Crane said after a 7-under 65 for a one-shot lead. “But for me, it’s just a matter of am I able to keep it simple and just play golf and not worry about too much about other things.”

Tiger Woods worried about his putting. He didn’t make one longer than 4 feet on his way to a 1-under 71.

Defending champion Sergio Garcia also had a 71, but there is nothing simple about his game right now. Even with a respectable score, he said he was playing so badly it “makes me want to puke.”

Phil Mickelson fired off three straight birdies, then hit only four greens in regulation the rest of the way for a 73, the first time he failed to break par in the opening round on the TPC Sawgrass in eight years.

“Looked like it was going to be a great round,” Mickelson said. “And then it just kind of went away.”

Crane couldn’t relate.

He dropped only two shots — from a bunker on No. 8 and the rough-covered mounds right of the 14th fairway — and made four birdie putts longer than 20 feet.

“It’s one of those rounds that you just live for when you’re a golfer,” he said. “And I had one today at one of my favorite courses and tournaments of all time.”

He had a one-shot lead over John Mallinger, Alex Cejka and Richard S. Johnson, with a large group at 67 that included Retief Goosen, David Toms, Camilo Villegas and Scott Verplank, who had two eagles — one of them from 150 yards out on the 15th fairway, another with a putt that seemed about that long on the par-5 second.