• ‘Obviously if I play really well I’ll still be No 1’, he says • Justin Rose has a 68, Jordan Spieth balloons to 75

Dustin Johnson has no apparent intention of giving up his position at the top of the world rankings lightly.

Justin Rose, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas arrived at the Players Championship in the knowledge they could knock Johnson from the ledge upon which he has sat for 15 months by Sunday evening. Johnson’s response, typically, arrived by way of actions. His Sawgrass first round of 66 was bogey free. Afterwards, he appeared unmoved by all the fuss.

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“I definitely want to stay there but if someone passes me it’s not going to change anything,” he insisted, in a blow to those seeking stories beyond birdies and bogeys.

“I’m still going to go back out next week and try to get it back. Obviously this week if I play really well I’ll still be No 1. If I don’t, someone’s going to pass me, which is OK.

“My expectations are the same for every tournament. I want to play well and I want to put myself in a position to have a chance to win on Sunday. I haven’t had the best record here but it’s a golf course that I like. I enjoy playing it and I feel like I should play well here.”

Indeed, it offers hope to Johnson’s pursuers that he has finished no better than 12th at Sawgrass.

Rose was the first man to lay down a challenge to Johnson. The Englishman has never been world No 1; a situation his 68 suggested he is keen to change. Rose offered a smile when asked if he had contemplated rankings when in game mode. “Not after Dustin got four, five, six under,” the former US Open winner said. “I thought I better play well this week to not go miles behind him again.

“Obviously it’s all well and good talking about it, but if he wins then he’s off and gone again. So that’s the thing, it’s a little bit about timing, when you play well and what other guys are doing. But no, I was just trying to focus obviously on my round.

“It’s very strong at the top. Dustin has a lot of challengers but to fend them off for over a year now? That’s pretty undisputed as a world No 1 if you can do it for over a year. So the next guy in I would imagine obviously will be delighted, but I think there could be a little of to-ing and fro-ing for the next six months or so with how many guys have the opportunity.”

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By close of play, Johnson’s six under tally formed part of a six-way tie for the lead. Alex Noren, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Cantlay, Chesson Hadley and Webb Simpson completed the sextet.

Rory McIlroy’s 71 was most notable for a terrific chip in for a birdie from a treacherous position behind the 4th – his 13th – green. “You could have given me another 100 balls and I wouldn’t have holed out,” he admitted. “I don’t think people would appreciate how tough that was unless they were down there. It’s a bonus if those ones drop.”

Spieth’s recently troubled relationship with this venue continued. The Open champion’s 75 was especially poor given it included an eagle at the 12th. The Texan found water three times. Thomas, who completed a group with McIlroy and Spieth, signed for a 73.

Tiger Woods had been solid rather than unspectacular when reaching the 18th tee one under par. He then pulled his iron shot into a lake, with the subsequent bogey giving him a 72 in what was the toughest of Thursday’s conditions. Phil Mickelson, in the company of Woods, slipped to a 79.