Honda Classic 2016: Thursday Leaderboard Scores and Highlights

Sergio Garcia and Michael Thompson are tied for the lead at five under par at the Honda Classic after Thursday's first round. 

Here is current leaderboard:   

The course at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was playing fast on Thursday, and the windy conditions didn't create the easiest setting for the opening round. 

Garcia wasn't bothered by the wind, though. He started his day off right with an eagle on No. 2, as the PGA Tour shows:

It was just a part of a hectic front nine that included three birdies, one bogey and some worrisome moments involving alligators, via the PGA Tour:

His play settled on the back nine when he parred the Nos. 10 through 17 holes as he sat in a tie for first with William McGirt at four under. A birdie on No. 18 gave him the outright lead for a bit until Thompson finished his play.

It wasn't just the wind that was causing problems at PGA National; the trees got in the way too. The PGA Tour shows Padraig Harrington's struggles:

Even the birds weren't cooperating, via the PGA Tour:

While Garcia spent a majority of his holes near the top while dodging the elements, Thompson used two birdies in his final four holes to move into a tie for first.

His ability to hit the greens set him up for a successful first round as he hit 77.78 percent of greens in regulation on Thursday. That number is well above the PGA Tour average of 57 percent.

Like Thompson, McGirt had to scramble just to get near the top of the leaderboard. After two bogeys on Nos. 10 and 12 dropped him to one under, McGirt birdied his last three holes of the day to move into second at four under.

He was joined late by Rickie Fowler in second place thanks to a birdie on his final hole of the day. On such a difficult course, Fowler completed the impressive task of not recording a single bogey.

Fowler even made some highlight-reel shots with his best at No. 10 to save par, via the PGA Tour:

Among other notable golfers, Phil Mickelson saw his early lead disappear after two late bogeys dropped him to one under. He's in a tie for 14th place. 

Rory McIlroy had an even tougher day as he shot a two-over, including four bogeys and one double bogey. He has some work to do on Friday, as he is in a tie for 65th. 

It was a little-known golfer who provided the highlight of the day, though. Alex Cejka, ranked 147th in the world, recorded his second ace of the season at the 17th hole, via the PGA Tour:

Cejka's ace was the perfect way to sum up the day, as PGA National is holding countless obstacles and surprises for those competing.

With the way this course is playing, no lead is safe at the Honda Classic. One bad stretch of play is all it takes to turn a lead into a sizable deficit. Until the final day of this tournament, the door will remain wide-open to the golfer who can rise to the occasion. 

Stats courtesy of PGATour.com.