Caleb Williams, projected No. 1 NFL Draft pick, follows Rory McIlroy at THE PLAYERS

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Rory McIlroy commanded attention as he racked up 10 birdies, one double bogey and a bogey for an opening 65 in perfect conditions at THE PLAYERS Championship.

One of the fans following him at the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass: Caleb Williams, the University of Southern California quarterback who won the Heisman Trophy in 2022 and is projected to be the No. 1 overall pick (Chicago Bears) in the NFL Draft in Detroit late next month.

“Yeah, it's really cool,” McIlroy said of the presence of Williams, who is new to golf. “I think golf is hopefully becoming more popular and more mainstream and sort of making it out of its little niche area that it has. Yeah, it is, it's very cool to have people out there following that take an interest in what we're doing out there, especially other athletes.”

To put his round in quarterback terms, McIlroy looked comfortable in the pocket Thursday. He connected on short routes, making five birdies from inside 7 feet, plus longer ones. He converted from over 25 feet for birdie at the par-5 16th hole and 17 feet, 3 inches at the par-5 ninth, his last hole of the day.

He was No. 1 in Strokes Gained: Putting after the morning wave.

“One of my favorite things to do is to go and watch other sporting events and sort of talk to other athletes, how they approach their sport and how they try to master their craft,” McIlroy said. “It's always nice to hear when other athletes take an interest in us, as well.”