Players Championship 2018: Webb Simpson Takes Lead After Record-Tying Round

Webb Simpson grabbed control of the 2018 Players Championship behind a record-tying performance in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Friday.

Though he shined with a second-round 63 to move to 15 under for the tournament, many of the biggest names in golf either missed the cut or find themselves buried on the leaderboard.

Below is an updated look at the standings following Friday's action.

The Players Championship Leaderboard — 2nd Round

1. Webb Simpson 63 (-15)

T2. Charl Schwartzel 66 (-10)

T2. Patrick Cantlay 68 (-10)

T2. Danny Lee 66 (-10)

T5. Chesson Hadley 69 (-9)

T5. Charles Howell III 67 (-9)

T5. Alex Noren 69 (-9)

T8. Jason Day 67 (-8)

T8. Steve Stricker 69 (-8)

T8. Xander Schauffele 68 (-8)

*Full leaderboard can be viewed at the official website of the PGA Tour

Recap

Simpson was the clear star in Round 2.

He got off to a strong start with an eagle on hole No. 2, and that would only be the start of an incredible day. After shooting five under on the front nine, he hit a groove on the back nine. He ran off six straight birdies at one point, starting on No. 11.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, that was a record-matching run:

Simpson did, however, show he is human by finding the water on the 17th:

That's a hole many competitors struggled with on Thursday, as the PGA Tour pointed out:

A double-bogey couldn't stop him from tying the course record, though:

Simpson reflected back on his performance afterward:

The 32-year-old has a five-stroke lead. He has four career PGA Tour victories on his resume, none coming at The Players Championship.

Simpson stole the show, but Charl Schwartzel also climbed the leaderboard in Round 2 behind a strong performance. Six birdies helped him move into a tie for second entering Saturday.

Meanwhile, Tiger Woods found himself in jeopardy of missing the cut as he shot a 71 to put himself at one under for the tournament.

That turned out to be just enough to help him keep playing into the weekend.

Following a 71 in Round 1, Rory McIlroy had some work to do in the second round. Unfortunately for him, he ran into some tough luck that dropped him below the cut line:

Although he had four birdies in the round, four bogeys and one double-bogey gave him a 74 for the day and put him at one over for the tournament.

Jordan Spieth (one under) was in danger of missing the cut, but he stayed alive. Rickie Fowler (one over) and Phil Mickelson (eight over) were among those who finished below the one-under cut line.