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Coronavirus dominates talk as Hideki Matsuyama ties course record to lead

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Fans scattered around the ninth green saw Hideki Matsuyama finish with a 25-foot eagle putt to tie the course record and take the lead at The Players Championship.

Spectators filled the theater around the dynamic 16th and 17th holes at the TPC Sawgrass to see Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka salvage rough starts.

After Thursday, that's all they'll see - for the rest of the week at The Players, for at least the next month on the PGA Tour.

"At least they got to enjoy themselves for one day," McIlroy said.