As round two of THE PLAYERS Championship ends, some past champions as well as new faces are on top of the leaderboard. In addition, there’s the shock of who didn’t make it to the weekend.
The biggest disappointment for many is that Rory McIlroy won’t be here on Saturday and Sunday. However, he had telegraphed problems with his game a week or two ago. He said he didn’t really know what was wrong, but that he knew he was taking the club back on the wrong path and swinging it forward on the wrong path. Well, that’s a problem for sure. He has enlisted Europe’s version of Butch Harmon — Pete Cowan — to get him back on track. If you’re a Rory fan, be confident that he’ll get there. He’s too good a player not to get it fixed.
Others packing their bags early include Tony Finau, Xander Schauffele, Webb Simpson, Patrick Cantlay, Rickie Fowler, Matt Kuchar, Gary Woodland, Bubba Watson and Henrik Stenson. Four of them are past champions.
However, there are plenty of big names who will play Saturday and Sunday.
The biggest of the big names is Phil Mickelson, which is great news for Lefty fans. Hard to tell where he will finish, but on this course, anyone who made the cut has a chance to win. It would be what they call a big ask, but it’s possible. He still has all the shots. It just that sometimes he doesn’t know where that driver is going.
Past champ Sergio Garcia is near the top of the leaderboard and would have been in the lead except for four, short, missed putts in round two. Garcia is closing his eyes when he hits the putter again, but you can’t argue with it since he won The Masters putting that way. (I can’t imagine it working. Can you?)
Jordan Spieth, who has been fighting his swing and mostly losing the battle for the last four years, will make two more rounds as will the current PGA Champ Collin Morikawa. They are both at even par, nine shots back.
Past champ Adam Scott made the cut as did my pick in The Recorder’s Insider’s Tournament Guide prediction story, Dustin Johnson. DJ kind of got overlooked because he was grouped with Bryson DeChambeau. Everybody gets overlooked when DeChambeau’s around. He’s literally and figuratively the big story of 2020 and 2021.
Justin Thomas made it, and so did past champ Si Woo Kim, plus Daniel Berger and Patrick Reed.
While anyone who made the cut has a chance to win, those closer to the lead of 9-under par have a better chance. That includes past champ Jason Day, Jon Rahm, DeChambeau and young Englishman, Matthew Fitzpatrick, who is just one shot back.
But the biggest surprise of the tournament is that a blast from the past, Lee Westwood, is leading. Westwood is now 47 and has had a great record at THE PLAYERS. He’s a former world No. 1 with 44 victories in Europe and umpteen Ryder Cup appearances. Maybe, finally, it’s his time.
