Svensson leads Players, McIlroy misses cut
Adam Svensson hit a shot onto a hospitality tent and made birdie Saturday morning to build a twoshot lead in The Players Championship. Rory McIlroy dug a hole he could not escape and missed his first cut since August.
The Players finally finished its second round after storms moved in late Friday and shut down play with half the field unable to finish.
Svensson's worst shot turned into a birdie when he received a free drop from the tent and a cart path and hit a delicate pitch to 4 feet for birdie on the par-5 ninth. That gave him a 67 and a twoshot lead over Masters champion Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler took his time,
and for good reason. He was playing with McIlroy as a twosome because world No. 1 Jon Rahm withdrew before the second round because of a stomach bug.
There was a lot of waiting, and Scheffler did what was needed. He had a pair
of two-putt birdies on the par 5s on the back nine at the TPC Sawgrass, made sure he found land on the island green at the 17th and capped off a 69.
Now that Rahm and McIlroy are not round, Scheffler has a clear path to a return to No. 1 in the world.
Scheffler needs to finish only in a three-way tie for fifth or better to replace Rahm.
Svensson, who won his first PGA Tour title in the final event last year at Sea Island, has his first 36hole lead. He was at 9-under 135.
Two-time major champion Collin Morikawa didn't make any gains Saturday morning and finished off a 73. He was three shots behind, along with Ben Griffin, Min Woo Lee and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Bezuidenhout was tied at 8 under with Svensson when play resumed in crisp, sunny conditions. He bogeyed three of his last two holes for a 70.
McIlroy hasn't missed a cut since the start of the FedEx Cup playoffs last August, a tournament that no longer will have a cut going forward.