PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - There’s more than the Big Five at The Players Championship.

Vijay Singh matched his best start ever on the TPC at Sawgrass. Phil Mickelson lit up the tame course with seven birdies inside 4 feet, only to give away five strokes with shots that went under trees and under water.

Retief Goosen did OK. Tiger Woods stalled. Ernie Els never got going.

“Then along came Jones,” said former U.S. Open champion Steve Jones, who stole the spotlight with an 8-under 64 in the lowest first-round scoring at Sawgrass in nine years.

The Players Championship had its share of surprises Thursday, none bigger than Jones, who dabbled in commercial real estate last year when he thought an elbow injury might end his career, winding up atop the leaderboard.

The Players Championship Lefty earns first win with new coach  |  Scores Opinion: Jury still on out on Mickelson-Harmon Opinion: Mickelson makeover looks promising Tiger finally finds stroke in final round Strong effort that leaves O'Hair all wet Expert: No major, but PGA's top tourney   Discuss: Sound off on the 'fifth major' Vote: How would you fare on No. 17?

“Dig up the archives here,” said Fred Funk, who joined Zach Johnson and Lee Westwood at 65.

Funk was only slightly startled when his caddie looked at the leaderboard and noticed that Jones had just completed a bogey-free round at 64, one off the course record.

“I go, ’Steve Jones shot 8 under? Where did he come from?”’ Funk said.

Last seen riding around in a cart as an assistant captain at the Ryder Cup, Jones made seven birdies in eight holes on a TPC at Sawgrass course that was so soft that the fairways could not be mowed.

An elbow injury kept him away from competition all of last year. He hasn’t won since 1998.

“Eight birdies, no bogeys. That’s a good thing, right?” Jones said, showing he hasn’t forgotten everything about life on the PGA Tour.

Maybe it was just a coincidence that first-round scoring at Sawgrass (71.87) was the lowest since 1996, the year Jones won the U.S. Open at Oakland Hills.

“I think he’s healthy now,” Singh said. “He’s no mug. He can play.”

Singh continued to show the best form of the Big Five, matching his best start ever at The Players Championship with a 5-under 67 that was highlighted by two good par saves in the middle of his round and a mammoth tee shot on the 18th that set up a birdie.

The others broke par, but couldn’t keep up with Jones. Goosen fired at 69, while Mickelson and Woods had a 70 and Els was at 71.

It was the first time all five of them broke par in the first round.

Big deal.

Sawgrass has rarely been this soft and still, and it showed in the low scores. Even the island-green 17th, the most daunting par 3 in golf, played under par.

ON NBC SPORTS SUNDAY, 4 p.m. ET Figure Skating Sarah Hughes and Friends Uniondale, N.Y.

Three players holed out from the fairway for eagle, as the pins were cut in accessible positions.

“They’re all pretty much the easiest pins we’ll see,” Mickelson said.

It was no surprise that 87 players were at par or better, and 29 players were in the 60s.

Westwood had a chance to join Jones at the top until he missed a 5-foot birdie putt on his final hole, the par-5 ninth.

Sergio Garcia was among those at 6-under 66, although the 25-year-old Spaniard was slightly disappointed after ripping a 3-wood from 281 yards over a tree and onto the green at the ninth, where it rolled by the hole to about 8 feet. He missed that eagle putt, and missed a 3-footer for birdie on No. 4.

MORE FROM GOLF

Golf Section Front

Ochoa edges Shin for LPGA's top player award Thanksgiving weekend, minus the Skins Game Out of Bounds: Tiger booed ... at Stanford? Latest golf videos Latest player news, rumors and more Tracking Tiger: News, features and more Tiger's triumphs: Recapping all Woods' wins Vote: When will Tiger win his 15th major? Vote, discuss: Best major of 2009? Special section: Golf on NBC Golf Section Front   Add Golf headlines to your news reader: