March 13, 2026; Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, USA; Ludvig Aberg watches his eagle chip roll into the hole on the 9th green during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship Golf Tournament. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Romance-Imagn Images PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg finished two shots clear of the field in the second round of the Players Championship on Friday thanks to a blistering front nine that included two eagles.
The 26-year-old, a two-time PGA Tour winner whose most recent victory came last year at the Genesis Invitational, shot a stunning 9-under-par 63 on a sunny afternoon at TPC Sawgrass for a total of 12-under 132.
That put him two strokes ahead of two-time major champion Xander Schauffele, who was leading the morning wave with a 7-under 65.
Cameron Young took sole third place at 9 under par after hitting a six-birdie 67, while Canada’s Corey Connors (67) and 2021 Players champion Justin Thomas (68) were one shot behind at 8 under par.
Aberg, who had his best performance on the PGA Tour this season, got off to a thrilling start to the second round at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational by tying for third place. He had a birdie on the first hole, a 15-foot putt for eagle on the par-5 second hole, and additional shots on the third and fourth holes.
He then added another eagle on the par-5 ninth, chipping in from light rough just before the green to reach the turn at an astonishing 7 under par and tied for the lead with Schauffele.
Aberg briefly took a one-goal lead with a two-putt birdie on the par-5 11th before falling back with a bogey on the par-4 15th. But he didn’t panic and made additional birdies on the par-5 16th hole and the par-4 18th hole, hitting his approach to 8 feet high to end the day two strokes behind.
World No. 2 and defending champion Rory McIlroy suffered another day of frustration, shooting a 1-under 71 after a back injury nearly forced him to withdraw from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational. That left him 1 over par and just 1 stroke inside the cut line.
Top-ranked American Scottie Scheffler, seeking his third win at the Players Championship, also struggled, shooting a second-round 73 to finish level with McIlroy.
-Mark Lamport-Stokes, Field Level Media
