Two share lead at The Players
As conditions toughened, Louis Oosthuizen and Kyle Stanley played even better. Each posted a 6-under 66 to share the lead at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., making it even more difficult for the top two players in the world to catch them. Oosthuizen and his sweet swing were a good fit in any conditions at the TPC Sawgrass, and he managed to play bogey-free and finish with a birdie on the par-5 ninth. Stanley had eight birdies as the wind increased and the firm putting surfaces became crusty.
They were at 9-under 135, 2 shots ahead of J.B. Holmes, who fell out of a tie with bogeys on his last two holes for a 69.
Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy scrapped it around, Johnson making only one birdie for a 73 and McIlroy managing through nagging back pain for a 71. They were at even par and not too bothered. They were only 5 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 definitely feel like I got the most that I could have out of that round,” Stanley said. “A couple bogeys, but you can expect that to happen around here with as difficult as the golf course is.”
Johnson and McIlroy at least are still in the game.
Jordan Spieth was headed home after missing the cut for the third straight year.
Equally surprising was Vijay Singh, the 54-yearold Fijian who was making putts from everywhere until a 3-putt bogey on the 18th. He still shot 68 and goes into the weekend only 3 shots out of the lead.
Phil Mickelson started making putts and moved up the leaderboard, only to begin a slow slide. He made three bogeys on the back nine and then, torn between a 9-iron and a wedge on the 17th, he opted for a wedge, and went into the water, leading to a double bogey. That left him at 72, 7 shots behind.
Thunderstorms are possible for today, which might soften the Players Stadium Course.
Wallace leads
England’s Matt Wallace extended his lead to 5 shots over Germany’s Sebastian Heisele in the Open de Portugal in Algarve. Wallace had five birdies in the first 12 holes of his second round before play was suspended due to darkness, a knock-on effect of the time lost due to Thursday’s thunderstorms.