Meet Chad Ramey, the Surprise Early Leader at the Players Championship

The Mississippi native, No. 225 in the world, had never played the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course until this week.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Prior to Monday of this week, Chad Ramey had never played the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, had never set foot on the tee at the famous par-3 17th hole.

A Players Championship rookie, Ramey, 30, made it look simple at the longtime home of the tournament, including at the iconic hole that is surrounded by water.

Ramey didn’t make a bogey in his 8-under-par round of 64 and knocked his approach with a pitching wedge to mere inches at the 17th hole. He had eight birdies.

He was the leader of the tournament after the early wave of players finished, holding a one-shot lead over Collin Morikawa and a three-shot advantage over Taylor Pendrith.

“No, not easy. Not easy at all,’’ he argued when it was suggested there was not much to the course or the 17th. “I might have made it look that way but it wasn't easy at all. It was fun, first time to shoot a score on such an iconic course like this. You can't ask for any more.

“There’s always nerves, but it’s just they don’t mean anything. It kind of means you care. You’ve just got to deal with them. That’s why we play the game. It’s why we’re here is to have those nerves. Just kind of push past them, push them aside, and just do what you’ve got to do."

Ranked 225th in the world, Ramey’s lone PGA Tour victory came at the 2022 Corales Puntacana Championship, an opposite event.

He earned his way into the Players Championship by being among the top 125 in FedEx Cup points last year at 85th.

A resident of Fulton, Miss., who went to Mississippi State, Ramey has struggled for most of 2023, having missed his last three cuts including at the Honda Classic, and finishing 38th at the 39-player Sentry Tournament of Champions.

“The game’s really felt close, said Ramey, whose wife, Kelly, had a baby boy last week. “I know the scores haven't showed it, but it's felt really close. I just made one little tweak in my swing, and it really seems to be paying off. I kind of hit the ball where I was looking most of the day, and then whenever I did get out of position, I did a pretty good job of getting back in."