Roberto Castro's debut in The Player's Championship made playing at Sawgrass look easy.
In the opening round, Castro had a 9-under 63 to tie the course record held by Fred Couples and Greg Norman. He also tied the record for the largest 18-hole margin, set by Billy Ray Brown in 1992, with a three-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Zach Johnson, according to the Associated Press.
"I hit it close a lot," Castro said. "... I don't think anyone has figured out what the secret is to this place."
At the end of the round, Castro led three shots ahead of second-place McIlroy and Johnson, tied for second-place, and four shots ahead of Tiger Woods, according to SB Nation.
McIlroy had a solid start and broke par at Sawgrass for the first time in four appearances. Woods' round of 67 was his best outing at this event since 2007.
"I knew today was a day I had to open with something in the 60s," Woods said. "Most of the guys were under par in the morning session, but the afternoon players saw a little bit of wind. The wind dried up the greens, making them a little bumpy. You just had to leave the ball in the right spots."
The second round of the tournament continues on Friday. See live leaderboard here.
Castro's great debut surprised many because he isn't that well known in the golfing world.
Castro, 27, earned an engineering degree at Georgia Tech and played in the minor leagues for five years. His mother grew up in Peru and moved to America as a teenager. His Aunt, Jenny Lidback, played in the LPGA Tour.
