Hearn T3, DeLaet paired with Woods at the Players

PGA Tour Players Championship scoreboard http://www.pgatour.com/tournaments/the-players-championship/leaderboard.html

It was another wild sunny breezy day at TPC Sawgrass just a mile away from the Atlantic Ocean in Florida, and some big names won't be around for the weekend..

Three that will, Nick Taylor, David Hearn and Graham DeLaet have exciting moving days ahead of them today.

Hearn was out early on Friday and posted -1 71 to get to -6 and that stood up well all day, while DeLaet recovered from an opening 75 to post a -3 69 and he will be paired with Tiger Woods. Taylor is T38 at -2 72 70.

48 year old Jerry Kelly (-7 65)and Kevin Na (69), are the leaders at -8 136. Both have had issues on this course as Na was the 54-hole lead three years ago until his yips took over, while Kelly had a two-shot lead over Woods in 2001 going into a final round that took two days to complete because of storms. Woods went on to win.

 

They are two shots clear of Rickie Fowler (69), Chris Kirk (68), Hearn (71) and Branden Grace (67).

 

However some big names are already at home. Jordan Spieth finished with a scrappy 72 to miss the cut by three shots. Jason Day had two 7s on his card within four holes. He closed with a double bogey for an 81. Phil Mickelson had two 6s and a 7 on his way to a 76 to miss the cut for the third straight year.

 

Woods was in danger of missing the cut all day until he got to the par-5 ninth for his last hole. He hit a little wedge to 10 feet, made the birdie, gave it the old fist pump because that gave him a 71 for even-par 144, making the cut on the number.

 

After being rated the most over rated player in golf along with Ian Poulter in a scurrilous tabloid poll is just 2 shots behind and could have been closer to close in on the lead until his approach on the par-5 16th found the water for a bogey but he made a birdie on the island green 17th, and in fact he missed a little birdie putt on the 18th.

 

Rory McIlroy is at -4 after a round of 71 that kept him in contention. David Toms gets play underway at 8.35am tis morning playing alone on what will be another exciting moving day at the Players.

 

Bryan Angus (notes from BBC, Reuters and AP)