RORY MCILROY reminded Masters champion Jordan Speith who was the undisputed world's best player on the opening day of the Players Championship at Sawgrass.

Much has been made of a possible rivalry between the two young stars of the game, who were placed in the same group for the first time since Spieth's superb victory at Augusta National in April elevated him to second in the world.

However, American Speith found life to be difficult in his playing partner's shadow and he finished six shots behind the Northern Irishman.

Last week, McIlroy extended his lead in the rankings thanks to victory in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play, and that form continued at the so-called fifth major with an opening round of 69 to lie two shots off the clubhouse lead shared by Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, Canada's David Hearn and American Charley Hoffman.

In contrast, Spieth struggled to a three-over 75 and showed his frustration by throwing his ball into the water after a bogey on the 16th, while the third member of the group, Australian Jason Day, matched McIlroy's scorer.

"I think anything under par, and definitely anything in the 60s is a very good start so I am pretty pleased with that," said McIlroy. "You just have to be very, very patient. I have a lot of pars on my card there. A lot of patience and picking up the birdies where you can. The first time I got here I felt it was a course where if you are playing well you should shoot 67 or 68 every time, but it's not really like that.

"It can jump up and bite you very quickly and you have to know sometimes that par is a good score and you move on."

Starting on the back nine, McIlroy opened with five straight pars before a superb approach from a fairway bunker on the 15th set up his first birdie from six feet.

The 26-year-old then holed from similar distance for an eagle on the par-five 16th - after needing just an eight iron from 205 yards for his approach - before dropping his only shot of the day after a wayward approach to the first.

Spieth admitted his putting had saved him from shooting 80 and that he needed to "find something" on the range."Sometimes you have bad breaks and have a bad day. This wasn't one of them," he said.

Rickie Fowler was six under after 11 holes before running up a double bogey on the third and dropping a shot on the ninth in a 69, a score matched by defending champion Martin Kaymer and 2008 winner Sergio Garcia.

At the start of the week, Fowler and England's Ian Poulter were named as the most overrated players on the PGA Tour in an anonymous poll of their peers conducted by Sports Illustrated, even though Fowler finished in the top five of all four majors in 2014.

"I guess top-fives in four majors aren't that good," said Fowler. "I'll take care of my business and I'll be just fine."

Tiger Woods had his head in his hands after a tee shot on the eighth which was struck so badly it found a water hazard 35 yards short of the green, admitting afterwards: "I'd never seen it. I didn't know it was there until now."

The 14-time major winner bounced back with birdies on the ninth, 14th and 16th before chipping in for another on the 17th, but then drove into the water on the 18th and the resulting double bogey meant he had to settle for a one-over-par 73.