Aberg Dazzles with 63, Takes Two-Shot Lead at Players Championship
Ludvig Aberg fired a stunning 9-under 63 on Friday to grab a two-shot lead at The Players Championship, while world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler barely kept his cut streak alive with a clutch finish.
Aberg put on a masterclass at TPC Sawgrass, starting with a blistering 5-under through his first four holes. The 24-year-old Swede chipped in twice—for birdie on No. 4 and eagle on the par-5 ninth—posting a front-nine 29 that tied the Stadium Course record.
Even when things went wrong, they went right. After muffing a chip, he limited the damage by sinking an 8-foot bogey putt.
“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,” said Aberg, who sits at 12-under 132.
The Swede, who chose Ponte Vedra Beach as his home base after finishing at Texas Tech, hadn’t played the Stadium Course this year until Tuesday’s practice round. You wouldn’t know it from his performance.
Xander Schauffele sits two back after a 7-under 65 where he hit all 14 fairways.
“Definitely nice to hit all of them, especially on this property,” Schauffele said. “For the most part I felt like I was in control and felt like I was attacking the golf course versus playing defensive.”
While Aberg cruised, Scheffler scrambled to keep his PGA Tour-leading cut streak intact. At 2-over with three holes to play, Scheffler navigated the island green at 17, then drilled a 3-wood down the middle on 18 and converted an 8-foot birdie putt to finish at 1-over 145—right on the cut line. His streak now stands at 69 consecutive made cuts, dating back to August 2022.
Rory McIlroy also flirted with the cut line before a birdie on his final hole secured his weekend spot. McIlroy’s back is improving daily, but his putter remains problematic.
Cameron Young continued his strong play with a 67, putting him three shots behind Aberg. Young broke through for his first PGA Tour win last summer and has been finding his form again.
“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 said about TPC Sawgrass. “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 rebounded from a disappointing showing at Bay Hill with rounds of 68-68 to sit at 8-under 136, alongside Corey Conners (67).
Thomas provided one of the day’s highlights, holing a pitch-and-run for eagle on the par-5 11th after missing the green left.
“Pretty sick chip,” Thomas said. “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.”
Having played alongside Scheffler during his cut-line drama, Thomas knows the pressure of those closing holes at 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 said. “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.”
Perfect conditions helped scoring on Friday—sunshine, light winds and receptive greens allowed players to attack pins. But as always at Sawgrass, those who found trouble paid the price.
