Oosthuizen, Stanley share lead at The Players Championship

Leaders step up as conditions toughen

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Each birdie by Louis Oosthuizen and Kyle Stanley pushed them higher up the leader board, a little further away from those chasing them in The Players Championship.

And as Friday showed, every little bit helps.

Anirban Lahiri looked like a lock to at least make the cut until he hit three shots into the water on the 18th and took a 10. Jim Furyk celebrated his 47th birthday with a solid round that came undone with two shots into the water on the island-green 17th that caused him to take the weekend off.

J.B. Holmes was tied for the lead until bogeys on his last two holes.

Vijay Singh, the 54-year-old surprise of the tournament, poured in putts from everywhere until a three-putt on the 18th gave him a 68 and put him three behind.

“I don’t think you can ever get too comfortable out here,” Stanley said after an eightbirdie round of 6-under 66, matching Oosthuizen for the best score of the second round and giving them a share of the lead at 9-under 135.

As conditions toughened at TPC Sawgrass, they played even better.

Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy scrapped it around Friday morning, Johnson making only one birdie for a 73 and McIlroy managing through nagging back pain for a 71. They were at par and not too bothered. They were only five behind when they finished, and they could sense that because of steamy weather and swaying pines that nobody was going to get too far away from him.

“I’m going to have to play two really good rounds on the weekend,” Johnson said.

Johnson and McIlroy at least are still in the game.

Jordan Spieth was headed home after missing the cut for the third straight year, yet he didn’t sound terribly upset. He chalked that up to not being able to handle this strand of grass when it gets firm and crusty. Spieth’s last hope ended with a tee shot that bounced at the back of the island-green 17th and into the water.

The cut was at 2-over 146, and there will be another cut today because more than 78 players advanced to the weekend. That’s when the tournament will finally start to take shape, and while Oosthuizen and Stanley stood out with the best scores of the second round, both know it can change quickly.

“We’re in a pretty good spot going into this weekend,” said Oosthuizen, the 2010 British Open champion who still hasn’t won in America.