Two Ryder Cup stars who have struggled in recent months lead the tournament’s midway point standings: Ludvig Åberg at -12 and Xander Schauffele at -10. They got into double figures below par the same way: torrents of red numbers. Schauffele made eight birdies in a -7 round, while Åberg made two eagles and finished birdie-birdie to close with a 63, one shy of the TPC Sawgrass course record.
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“I definitely felt like I was in control for the most part,” Schauffele said, “I felt like I was attacking the golf course instead of playing defense.” Schauffele hit all 14 fairways and 16 of 18 greens in regulation, a nice throwback to the 2024 season, where he won both of his majors.
That season, Schauffele noted, “was a year full of really good results, and now I think we’re a little more focused on the process and trying to make sure things are fixed and in a decent place.”
Åberg has also moved slightly away from the highs of 2024, when he recorded a solo second-place finish and a T12 in the first Masters and US Open he played. On Friday, he torched the front nine with a 29, and lasted until the 15th before making his first bogey – the last man in the field to record one.
Also at the top of the leaderboard: Cam Young (-9), Corey Conners (-8), Sepp Straka (-7) and Justin Thomas, the 2021 champion. Thomas needed just three rounds to return to his low-scoring form after a long injury layoff, and he capped a strong second day with this eagle serve:The two most recent champions fought for the second day in a row and flirted with the cut line. Rory McIlroy needed a decisive birdie on the 9th hole, the 18th of the day, to reach +1 and stay safely inside the +2 cut line.
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“I’m happy to be here for the weekend. I’m happy to be able to do two more races,” McIlroy said. “It would have sucked to come home this afternoon, so to stay and play two more days is a win.”
Scottie Scheffler, meanwhile, struggled all afternoon, still unable to find streets and letting his frustration boil over throughout the day:
Scheffler bogeyed 14 and 16 to put himself right on the cut line with two holes left. Is it time to start asking questions? Not yet, but it’s time to start thinking about when that time will be.
The toughest hole of the day belonged to Tom Hoge, who had a quintuple bogey (!) on the 7th hole that seemed eminently identifiable to almost anyone who has ever tried to play golf:
Saturday and early Sunday are projected to be sunny and rain-free, meaning TPC Sawgrass’s already treacherous greens will become more slippery. That leaves Schauffele and Åberg in a good, if by no means secure, position.
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“Yesterday we had an easier wave with a little rain, and then it smoothed out,” Schauffele said. “Today the greens were getting a little firmer. I think the course will get firmer as long as it doesn’t rain anymore.”
The Players continues on Saturday and concludes on Sunday.