A little erratic, but Li escapes

China's Li Haotong was an escape artist in Thursday's opening round of The Players Championship at Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, using a brilliant short game to salvage tough pars en route to a bogey-free 3-under 69 to sit tied for 13th.

The 23-year-old Li, who missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass in his debut last year, birdied three of his opening six holes before scrambling home for a solid start in the PGA Tour's flagship $12.5 million tournament.

Li missed seven greens in regulation but produced some short game artistry and clutch putting, including draining a 14-footer to save par on No 8 and a 12-footer save on his final hole of the round.