Ludvig Åberg fired two eagles, at the par-5s 2nd and 9th, as well as six birdies and one bogey to close with a 9-under 63 and move to the top of The Players Championship leaderboard at 12-under.

He leads the field in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (4.087) through two rounds; led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green (4.005) and Strokes Gained: Tee to Green (7.258) in round 2.

63 marks the second-lowest 18-hole score in Players history (lowest: 62, Justin Thomas/2025/R2, Tom Hoge/2023/R3) and his lowest on the PGA Tour since the 2025 Farmers Insurance Open (63/R1).

“I saw some nice things over the weekend at Pebble in my game. I saw some nice things at Riv, even though I got off to a slow start in the tournament. Yeah, just kind of progressively getting better,” said Åberg.

“I feel like I’ve understood a little bit more what’s important for me in my golf swing and kind of sticking to that, not necessarily trying to look away other ways around it, and keeping it very simple.

“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.

“I think overall I felt like I was striking it quite nice [today]. I kind of got away with a few tee balls in the middle of the round where I wasn’t hitting the fairways necessarily. But yeah, I think I got away with a few for sure.

“But overall, I feel like my iron play has been pretty good lately, the last couple weeks. I saw it at Bay Hill as well last week. Super pleased with the way I was hitting it.”

The Swede holds his sixth career 36-hole lead/co-lead on Tour and is 1-for-5 converting to victory (2023 RSM Classic). The last player to hold the 36-hole lead/co-lead at The Players Championship and go on to win was Rory McIlroy in 2019.

Åberg is the third player to post 29 on the front nine at TPC Sawgrass (others: Dustin Johnson/2022/R4, Martin Kaymer/2014/R1). He joins Derek Fathauer (2015/R1) as the only players to post 5-under on Nos. 1-4.

He also becomes the third player in tournament history to eagle Nos. 2 and 9 in the same round (others: Chandler Phillips/R1/2025, Henrik Stenson/R2/2013).

Åberg posted his first top-10 in five starts during the 2026 season at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational (T3) and seeks his third career PGA Tour victory (2023 RSM Classic, 2025 Genesis Invitational).

American Xander Schauffele made eight birdies and one bogey for a 65 and moved into second place at 7-under. He hit every fairway in a round (14 of 14) for the third time in his career (2025 Baycurrent Classic/R4, 2018 CJ CUP @ Nine Bridges/R3)

Eight birdies in a round are the most in his career at TPC Sawgrass (previous: 7; R1, R3/2024).

Schauffele has had one top-10 finish in five starts during the 2026 season (T7/The Genesis Invitational) and seeks his eleventh PGA Tour victory and second in his last seven starts (2025 Baycurrent Classic).

American Cameron Young made six birdies and one bogey for a 67, his low 18-hole score in sixteen career rounds at TPC Sawgrass (previous: 68/R3/2023, 68/R1/2026). T51 (2023) was his best finish in four previous appearances at The Players Championship.

Making his second start of the 2026 season since returning from back surgery in November, 2021 Champion Justin Thomas of the USA fired an eagle at the par-5 11th, three birdies and one bogey for a 68 and a share of fourth place at 8-under, his best career position through 36 holes at this event (previous: T16/2022).

Canadian Corey Conners (T4/-8) birdied five of his first six holes and added two more as well as an eagle at the par-5 9th and four bogeys for a 67 and a share of fourth place. He has finished in the top-10 twice in six previous appearances at The Players (7th /2021, T6/2025).

Two-time Champion (2023, 2024) and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler of the United States signed for a 73 having made four bogeys to lie in T51 at 1-over and extend his longest active cuts made streak on Tour to 70.

World No. 2 Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland carded three birdies and two bogeys for a 71 and also lies in T51.

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