Aberg shoots 63 at Sawgrass to secure 2-stroke advantage in Players Championship
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Ludvig Aberg enjoyed an exceptional beginning that propelled him to a 9-under 63 and a two-shot advantage on Friday at The Players Championship. Scottie Scheffler had a crucial finish, but it was merely to avoid missing the cut.
Aberg was 5 under after his first four holes and navigated the TPC Sawgrass with a series of impressive shots. He chipped in twice, once for birdie on No. 4 and again for eagle on the par-5 ninth, achieving a 29 that matched the front-nine record on the Stadium Course.
Even on the one chip he mishit, he mitigated the setback by sinking an 8-foot putt for bogey.
A final birdie—executed effortlessly by the Swede—secured him a two-shot lead over Xander Schauffele, who hit all 14 fairways during his round of 65.
“I think my mind is very good when it’s simple, and when things are very easy, and that’s what I’ve felt like I’ve been able to do over the last couple of weeks,” Aberg stated.
He stood at 12-under 132 on the TPC Sawgrass, which he occasionally refers to as home, although Aberg had not played the Stadium Course this year until a practice round on Tuesday. He selected Ponte Vedra Beach as his residence after completing his studies at Texas Tech.
The tension arose late in the day with Scheffler, the world’s top-ranked player who holds the longest current cut streak on the PGA Tour at 69. He missed two birdie opportunities and then encountered difficulties in the rough on the 14th hole, resulting in a bogey. Subsequently, he missed a 30-inch par putt on the par-5 16th.
This left him at 2 over, still needing to tackle the island green, the most challenging hole at Sawgrass.
Scheffler managed to find land on the 17th for par. As he approached the 18th tee, he was 14 shots behind the leader, and anything less than par would have eliminated him from the tournament for the first time since August 2022.
He struck a 3-wood down the center, hit his approach to 8 feet, and made birdie for a 73.
Also making the cut amid some anxious moments was Rory McIlroy, whose back is improving daily, although his putting remains a concern. McIlroy birdied the par-5 ninth at the conclusion of his 71 to ensure he would be competing over the weekend. He and Scheffler, ranked Nos. 1 and 2 in the world, were at 1-over 145.
Schauffele’s only bogey occurred due to a careless three-putt on the par-3 13th, his fourth hole of the day, where he missed a putt just over 2 feet. The remainder of his round was solid, and the two-time major champion is beginning to gain some momentum.
He was unaware that he had hit every fairway until it was pointed out to him.
“Definitely nice to hit all of them, especially on this property,” Schauffele remarked. “For the most part, I felt like I was in control and felt like I was attacking the golf course versus playing defensively.”
Sawgrass provided favorable conditions on a beautiful day with sunshine, a light breeze, and receptive greens, ideal for scoring on a course that allows low rounds for those who navigate it without significant trouble.
Cameron Young, who contended at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, recorded a 67 and was three shots back. Young is a promising talent who secured his first PGA Tour title last summer and was the top American in a losing Ryder Cup effort in his home state of New York.
The Players has been elusive for him, as he has yet to finish in the top 50 in three of the four years he made the cut. However, he was focused on a course he described as “tricky.”
“I feel if you’re not decisive, if you’re unsure of what you want to do, it can really kind of rear its head at you,” Young explained. “The holes where we’re strictly just trying to get it in the fairway … I didn’t hit all of them, but I made a bunch of really good golf swings. And I feel like that kind of wins out over here.”
Justin Thomas followed his 79-79 return from back surgery at Bay Hill with a 68-68 start at The Players. He was at 8-under 136, alongside Corey Conners (67).
The highlight for Thomas was recovering from a poor miss left of the green on the par-5 11th—where the pin was positioned to the left—by executing a perfect pitch-and-run into the cup for eagle.
“Pretty sick chip,” Thomas remarked. “Not one I necessarily expect to get up-and-down all the time. But I have pretty good belief in my short game, and when you’re in the fairway, you have a lot more control of the ball. Just trying to visualize it and see it and hit my spot, and luckily the hole got in the way. It was nice to steal one there.”
He played alongside Scheffler and witnessed him navigate the final two holes with the cut on the line. Thomas has experienced being on the cut line and is well-acquainted with Sawgrass.
“If you’re on the cut line and you’re standing on 17, if you hit it in the water, you’re all but done,” Thomas noted. “Then the same kind of goes for 18 on the tee shot. It’s every bit as hard as trying to win a golf tournament.”
What he observed from Scheffler was some timing issues, but nothing he found concerning.
“He’s still hitting shots that not many people on planet earth can hit in the same rounds,” Thomas stated. “It’s just golf. He’s been hitting it pretty much where he wants within like a blanket size for what seems like two or three years. He’s still had a pretty damned good year.”
