Oosthuizen, Stanley each shoot 66 to share Players lead

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — 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, 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, two 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 Friday morning, 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 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 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, 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.

Equally surprising was Vijay Singh, the 54-year-old Fijian who was making putts from everywhere until a threeputt bogey on the 18th. He still shot 68 and goes into the weekend only three shots out of the lead.

The cut was at 2-over 146, and there will be another cut Saturday 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.