Players Championship 2016: Tee Times, TV and Live Stream Schedule for Saturday
The 2016 Players Championship has moved into the weekend, though there is still some leftover action from Friday's second round to be taken care of with weather forcing some players off the course early.
One of those players is Jason Day, who is currently atop the leaderboard at 14 under par through 14 holes in the second round. He wasn't playing at the same pace as his dazzling opening-round 63 but still looked to be in command of his game.
Here's the full leaderboard after Friday's action:
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Tee times for all players have not been officially announced but play will resume at 9:15 a.m. ET with 33 left to finish the second round.
Viewing Information
| Saturday, May 14 | NBC | 2 p.m. | 9:15 a.m. | NBCSports.com |
Saturday Storylines
Day and Rory McIlroy have been the stories of the Players Championship through two days. Day set the pace with a course record on Thursday, carrying a two-stroke lead into the second round.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Day's opening-round success has resulted in good things in the past:
Through his first eight holes on Friday before the weather took him off the course, Day was playing perfect golf. He had five birdies and no bogeys, pushing his score to 14 under par.
It's a testament to Day's talent and preparation that he was able to put together such a strong round, particularly when compared to his 81 in the first round at this tournament last year.
After shooting 63 on Thursday, Day explained to ESPN's Jason Sobel the big difference between this year and last year:
"To shoot 81 and then 63 is a bit of a -- 18 shots difference is a lot.
[...]
I feel like I'm a lot more prepared this year than I was last year, especially with how I was playing last year. I was playing pretty decent golf coming into this event, and I'm playing a lot better golf than I was last year.
"
Day has been the best player on the PGA Tour so far this year, winning two tournaments and finishing in the top 10 in three others. His red-hot start at TPC Sawgrass is evidence to the rest of the field that they have to raise their game to challenge for a title.
McIlroy got off to a slow start with an even-par 72 on Thursday, but he tried to do his best Day impression with a 64 on Friday. It looked early like he was going to go even lower, starting at seven under par through his first seven holes.
The only black mark on McIlroy's second round was a bogey on his final hole that prevented him from reaching 63, a moment that wasn't lost on him after the round, per Alex Myers of Golf Digest: "It should have been a couple better. Instead of being two behind the lead, I feel like I should be tied for the lead."
This hasn't been a typical year for McIlroy so far. In his first nine PGA Tour events in 2016, the 27-year-old has just four top-10 finishes with more missed cuts (one) than wins (zero).
McIlroy has started to heat up lately with a 10th-place finish at the Masters, fourth-place finish at the Wells Fargo Championship last week and then Friday's performance that launched him into contention even though he's still got a high mountain to climb with Day playing so well.
However, the best performance in the second round belonged to Colt Knost. The 30-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio shot a 63 that included a string of four straight birdies from No. 5 through 8.
Sobel noted the funny and sarcastic reaction Knost was getting from his fellow golfers:
Charley Hoffman was referencing the three putts Knost needed on the 18th hole that was virtually the only blemish on an otherwise perfect day.
The same can't be said for Jordan Spieth, who has been unable to build any rhythm in the first two days. He's usually so good on the greens, ranking 20th overall in strokes gained with the putter, but he has cost himself 1.185 strokes so far this weekend.
Per ESPN Stats & Info, Spieth has had problems avoiding big numbers lately:
Friday was a good day in that regard, as Spieth didn't have anything worse than a bogey. He's still not finding the right balance on the tee, on the fairway or on the green to piece together a round like everyone knows he can, however.
Shane Lowry had another strong performance on Friday to put himself in contention at 11 under par, just three shots behind Day.
Jonas Blixt and Alex Cejka haven't dazzled with a low number like Day or McIlroy, but they have put together back-to-back scores of 67 that have them right in the mix with Day for the lead heading into moving day.
Lowry, Blixt, Cejka and Cameron Tringale (10 under par) also have an advantage over Day because they have already completed their second rounds and will only need to complete 18 holes on Saturday.
Even with the weather conditions on Friday, the Players Championship has been set up for a fantastic weekend with low scores coming from different places. Day has earned his spot atop the leaderboard, but those players in the rear-view mirror are rapidly approaching.
McIlroy is the great wild card in this equation because of what he was able to do on Friday. Another day like that will move him into Day's sights, while putting the pressure on everyone else as they look up at the world's best player.
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