Golf: Harrington makes solid start at Sawgrass

Padraig Harrington - making his first appearance in the Players Championship - made a dream start with back-to-back birdies at Sawgrass.

Although he drove into rough at the 392-yard first, Harrington hit his next to five feet. Then he was on the green at the 532-yard second with two woods and safely two-putted.

There was a moment of humour when he got to the next tee to see partner Bob Tway ready to play and Harrington had to inform him it was still his turn.

Pars there and at the next kept the Irishman at two under and he shared the lead with five Americans - Tway, who did grab the honour with a two at the short third, defending champion Hal Sutton, Mark Calcavecchia, Rocco Mediate and Frank Lickliter, who had begun with three straight birdies on the back nine, but then bogeyed the 13th.

Jose Maria Olazabal set off with a birdie at the 10th, but Nick Faldo did well to par it, getting up and down from a greenside bunker.

Harrington remained two under after six holes and that was still good enough to keep him joint top.

Lickliter, Sutton, Calcavecchia and Mediate slipped back to one under, but Harrington and Tway were joined instead by Nick Price, Tom Lehman and John Cook.