Ludvig Aberg leads, Corey Conners T4...Saturday at Players Championship..TEE TIMES, Leaderboard

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Swedish super star Ludvig Aberg had his A game in full force on Friday afternoon on a very gettable TPC Sawgrass.

Ludvig Aberg of Sweden acknowledges applause from the gallery after sinking his putt on the 11th green during the second round of The Players Championship golf tournament Friday, March 13, 2026, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Consider this he began birdie eagle birdie birdie -5 through 4 holes then  tied the course record with another eagle on the th for 29.

He went on to post 3 more birdies with a lone dropped shot at the 15th, for 34, -9 63  and a tournament lead at -12.

2nd  Xander Schauffele hit all his fairways -7 65 for a -10 total.

3rd  Cameron Young 68 67 -9

T4  Corey Conners 69 67 -8   Corey was -5 through 6 holes featuring his reknown ball striking all day, and he was unlucky not to be even lower.

T4  Justin Thomas 68 68 -8  He used his 79 79 MC last week at Bay Hill as a warm up, as he returns from back surgery.

Other Canadians

Taylor Pendrith T35 74 69 -1

Nick Taylor T42  74 70 E

Sudarshan Yellamaraju  T51 73 72 +1  He fought back with birdies on 3 of his last 5 holes

Mac Hughes MC 74 77 +7 has not had his best stuff yet so far this year

AJ Ewart MC  78 75 +9  had no chance after the opening 78.

STARS : What many are talking about, the game's two biggest stars Rory McIlroy T51 74 71 +1 and Scott Scheffler T51  72 73 +1 with 4 bogey's just 3 birdies, both barely made the cut which finally fell at +2.

They are both off early before National NBC (2pm) TV coverage  at 9.55 Rory and 9.25 Scheffler, available here on TSN4.

WEATHER: Saturday: Ideal scoring,  partly cloudy, 72*f , dry only a 10% chance of rain, light wind 10-16mph.

Sunday: expect a return of higher humidity, more unsettled 75*f , 60% chance of showers and TStorms in the afternoon, windier 14-20mph with gusts over 30mph

OPINION :  Saturday should provide ideal scoring conditions, with the Sunday afternoon bad weather expected,  they may send the guys out early of split tees.

Bryan Angus

 

Corey Conners T4 after 36 holes..Players Championship....Live scoreboard

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Corey Conners came out on fire this morning making birdies on 5 of his first 6 holes, and adding an eagle 3 at the the 9th, out in 30, straight up the leaderboard in the lead at -9.

He went bogey birdie bogey on his back nine, steadied the ship with 3 straight pars, then a birdie at the par 5 16th, and a tap in par at the island green at 17. After a great drive on 18 his approach was right at the pin, but came up 2 yards short in the thick rough. 

He nearly holed the chip for birdie 3, and on these lightning fast greens he rolled 9 feet past and missed coming back for a bogey 5, 30 37 -5 67 T3 -8.

The clubhouse leader is Xander Schauffele 65 -10 and Cameron Young 67 is at -9.

However TPC Sawgrass is playing a shot easier this morning and that may end up being 2 shots easier.

I expected the benign conditions would suit the late wave, Ludvig Aberg was -5 through 5 holes, he went on to post the round of the day -9 63 to take the lead at -12

Canadians

The cut is projected at +2 which is important for the other 5 Canadians..

Nick Taylor T45  70 74   E

Taylor Pendrith T35  74  69 -1 

Sudarshan Yellamaraju T51  73 72   +1

Mac Hughes T86  74, 77   +7 MC

AJ Ewart T116  78 75 +9   MC

Rory without his A game has made the cut T51 74 71 +1, Scott Scheffler same story, T51 72 73  +1

Bryan Angus

Four tied for lead at Players Championship...Conners T10 ..Friday Leaderboard

  PGA Tour : Players Championship Tee Times Leaderboard

Weather : Friday will have partly sunny skies, only 24% chance of rain, temperature in low 70's (20*c) , the wind will be gusting 35kph NE early, but will decrease gradually late morning to 14kph NE for the rest of the day.

Play on Thursday was eventually suspended with 4 players left to finish this morning. There was a 35 minute delay as a torrential rain cell moved over the course.

Rory played pain free and shot 74, Morikawa WD due to his back, Ryan Fox had to WD to have kidney stones removed. 

1st Sepp Straka -5 67

     Maverick McNealy -5 67

     Lee Hodges -5 67

     Sahith Theegala -5 67

Austin Smotherman is also -5 with a 15 foot birdie putt to complete this morning at 8.50 Round 2 will begin at 7.40.

Canadians

Corey Conners leads the Canadians. He played off #10 with 1 birdie and 1 bogey at the island 17th for 36, coming home in 33 with 3 birdies, the rest all pars..

Corey Conners T10 -3 69

Sudarshan Yellamaraju T52 +1 thru 17

Mac Hughes T69 +2 74

Taylor Pendrith T69 +2 69

Nick Taylor T69 +2 69

AJ Ewart T107 +5 thru 17

The greens were noticeably brown already, keep that in mind with not much rain in the forecast until Sunday. That in part and the breeze keep the scoring down with only -5 the lead.

So with a fairly benign day ahead I expect to see lower scores, a lot of  guys like Justin Rose, Adam Scott, Robert MacIntyre and Scott Scheffler who had mediocre E72's are not far behind.

Click on my leaderboard link above to follow scoring in real time.

Bryan Angus

Wind, Rain in forecast, McIlroy injured, Thursday at Players Championship....Live leaderboard

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WEATHER : mostly cloudy and windy with a high chance of afternoon thunderstorms 80%-90% heavy rain 1pm -5pm , wind gusts 22-25mph

Round 1 is scheduled to commence at 740am in Ponte Vedra, Florida, Rory McIlroy will wait to see if he will start at 1.42pm. Mother Nature may decide for him.

First the weather forecast. Blustery wind and overcast skies will greet the early wave at TPC Sawgrass which is playing very firm. 

However a front will move through Ponte Vedra according to the forecast bring heavy rain rated at 80-90% probability between 1pm -5pm and the wind 22-25mph.

Rory you may recall injured his back during warm up on Saturday and W/D from Bay Hill and drove straight to Palm Beach to his physiotherapist where he has been until arriving in Ponte Vedra on Wednesday.

He hit a few irons for an  hour, then walked the back nine with a putter and a wedge. He is a tee time decision, if play hasn't been suspended by then. He is the defending champion.

There are six Canadians, click on my leaderboard above to follow all the scoring.

7.40 10th Mac Hughes, 8.16 10th Taylor Pendrith, 1.30 10th Nick Taylor, 2.06 10th Corey Conners, 2.30 1st AJ Ewart, Sudarshan Yellamaraju.

They are playing for $25,000,000 and 750 Fedex points, the winner $4.5m, the top 5 all win over $1m. There are 123 players with a 36 hole cut.

Bryan Angus 6.45am

Six Canadians this week at the Players Championship : TEE TIMES

  PGA Tour : Players Championship Tee Times Leaderboard

Rory McIlroy returns as the defending champion after his career 2025 year, there are 123 players from around the world now gathered at TPC Sawgrass for the PGA Tour flagship event, the $25,000,000 Players Championship.

There are 6 Canadians who have qualified.

7.40am 10th  Mac Hughes,  Eric Cole, Rico Hoey

8.16am 10th  Taylor Pendrith, Alex Noren, Jhonattan Vegas

1.30pm 10th  Nick Taylor, Andrew Novak, Wyndham Clark

2.06pm 10th Corey Conners, Jason Day, Nico Echavarria

2.30pm 1st   Sudarshan Yellamaraju, AJ Ewart, Zack Bauchou

None are in particularly great form, that reflecting in the bookmaking odds, however Hughes, Taylor, Pendrith and Conners have proven repeatedly that they are eminently capable when it is their week. 

For rookies Ewart and Yellamaraju this week is vindication on their sensational rise through the ranks.

Bryan Angus

5 DP World Tour members to watch at the Players Championship.. TEE TIMES

 PGA Tour : Players Championship Tee Times Leaderboard

This week sees one of the strongest fields in golf assemble for THE PLAYERS Championship on the PGA TOUR.

Marco Penge won the 2025 Seve Ballesteros Award after being voted Player of the Year by his peers on the DP World Tour

A 123-man field containing the world's top 19 and 46 of the top 50 will descend on TPC Sawgrass to battle for one of the game's most prestigious trophies.

Rory McIlroy will look to defend the title he won 12 months ago and he is one of a strong cast of dual members representing the DP World Tour in Florida.

Marco Penge  Age: 27

DP World Tour titles: 3  OWGR: 38

A year ago Penge was 336th in the world, did not have a DP World Tour title and had just returned to the game following an enforced absence for a breach of Tour regulations.

If you had told him then that 12 months later he would be a three-time winner, the runner-up on the Race to Dubai, the Seve Ballesteros Award winner and a dual member about to make his PLAYERS and Masters debuts, he would probably not have believed you.

But that is the case for the affable, big-hitting Englishman, for whom one of the bonuses of taking the first dual membership card is a place in this week's field.

Rory McIlroy beat him to the Harry Vardon Trophy in Dubai but he came into the 2026 season an established star and began his campaign with globetrotting made cuts in Australia and South Africa.

After an initially slow start to life on the PGA TOUR, he led the Genesis Invitational heading into the weekend before finishing in the top 20 and now arrives in Florida looking for another strong week.

Kristoffer Reitan Age: 28

DP World Tour titles: 2  OWGR: 46

An overnight sensation seven years in the making, Reitan has taken the long route to the World Ranking that has earned him a place in this week's field.

He was just 20 years old when he came through all three stages of Qualifying School and turned professional to start his first full season on the DP World Tour. One top ten and 15 missed cuts saw him lose his playing privileges and gettng them back would not prove easy.

He would register just three top tens at ranking level over the next four seasons.

A first professional win at the Grand Final, changed all that, however, and this time Reitan was ready to take his chance.

Victory at the Soudal Open prompted a summer of incredible consistency and he finished eighth on the 2025 Race to Dubai to secure dual membership.

A second DP World Tour triumph at the Nedbank Golf Challenge in honour of Gary Player moved him into the world's top 50 and he has stayed there thanks to his form on the PGA TOUR, finishing in the top 20 at the Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches

Jordan Smith  Age: 33

DP World Tour titles: 2  OWGR: 93

An absolute picture of consistency for the best part of a decade on the DP World Tour, Smith is in the field this week after showing some of that consistency on the PGA TOUR.

He won in his maiden campaign while also making the top ten on his Major debut at the US PGA Championship and since then has only once - barring the Covid-affected 2020 campaign - finished outside the top 50 on the Race to Dubai

Last season 2025   saw him achieve the goal of dual membership thanks to two runner-up finishes and five other top tens and he is now building himself a solid platform as a dual member.

His five PGA TOUR starts have brought four made weekends and two top 25s, putting him 73rd in the FedEx Cup and in the field this week.

Haotong Li  Age: 30

DP World Tour titles: 4  OWGR: 75

This is not a debut PLAYERS appearance for Li but it is a first for eight years as the roller coaster that is his career gets back on an upward trajectory.

He earned his DP World Tour card by winning his national open in 2016 and the following year finished 3rd at The Open.

When he held off Rory McIlroy to win the 2018 Dubai Desert Classic, crack the top 50 in the world and earn that spot in THE PLAYERS, he had the world at his feet but, for a period, it would all come crashing down.

He made just two cuts in 2021 but in 2022 claimed an emotional victory at the BMW International Open, with the scenes on the 18th green living long in the memory.

However he would once again make just two cuts all season in 2023. In 2024 his game became more consistent but it was 2025 he found his way to the winner's circle, lifting the trophy in Qatar last season to go with seven other top tens to earn dual membership.

Finishes of 8th and 11th in consecutive weeks on the PGA TOUR in January and February have helped earn his place in the field this week and he will be hoping that this time, the good times are here to stay.

Shane Lowry Age: 38

DP World Tour titles: OWGR: 29

A man who, with all due respect to the others on this list, needs far less introduction as a Major winner and Ryder Cup hero.

He burst onto the scene in 2009 when he became just the third amateur winner in DP World Tour history at his home open and since then has won The Open, a World Golf Championships, two Rolex Series titles and the Portugal Masters.

He has also won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans alongside close friend Rory McIlroy but his recent solo record in the States is one of near-misses.

For example he lost out to McIlroy at last season's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and then was in the final group as Sepp Straka beat him to the Truist Championship by the same margin.

And at the start of this month, he lost a healthy lead at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches as he found water for a pair of double-bogeys on the 70th and 71st holes to finish second again.

He admitted that stung, as youngest daughter Ivy has never been able to run onto an 18th green and celebrate a win, and that fuel is not the only good sign for Lowry - after finishing eighth in 2021, he has three top 20s at Sawgrass with a worst finish of 35th.

europeantour.com

Bryan Angus (edit)

Akshay Bhatia wins playoff Arnold Palmer Invitational, Canadian scores, Final results

    PGA Tour : Arnold Palmer Invitational  Leaderboard Results

After week where Bay Hill GC provided a stern challenge in very hot weather that dried, browned out greens that became lightning fast, Scheffler called the 15th "'dead" after two rounds, it was stringbean shot maker lefty Akshay Bhatia who outlasted front runner Daniel Berger for the win

Image source,Getty Images

Image caption,

Akshay Bhatia has won all three of his PGA Tour titles via a play-off

However it took a playoff in which Bhatia made par 5, to Berger's bogey to decide the winner.

The money is enormous.

1. Akshay Bhatia 70 66 68 69 -15 ***(playoff) $4,000,000   700 Fedex points

2. Daniel Berger 63 68 72 70 -15 ***(playoff ) $2,200,000

T3 Ludvig Aberg 66 71 72 67 -12   $1,200,000

T3 Cameron Young 67 73 67 69 -12    $1,200,000

5.  Collin Morikawa 66 71 70 70 -11

Canadians

Corey Conners T33 69 74 72 72 -1   $109,000

Taylor Pendrith T38 73 73 71 71  E  $90,000

Nick Taylor T38  72 72 75 69  E   $90,000

This week still in Florida at Ponte Vedra for the $25,000,000 Players Championship where Rory McIlroy will defend if his injury has cleared  up.

Bryan Angus