Day 2 review: THE PLAYERS Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – A quick look at Friday at THE PLAYERS Championship, where weather won the day once again. RELATED: Full leaderboard | Weather updates from TPC Sawgrass THE LEADERS WALK-OFF HOLE-OUT: Brice Garnett’s final shot Friday was a memorable one. He holed out with a sand wedge from 96 yards to eagle the par-4 fourth hole and tie Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge for the lead at 6 under. Fleetwood and Hoge both shot 66 on Thursday. Garnett was on the fifth tee box, about to start his 14th hole of the tournament, when play was suspended because of unplayable conditions caused by the persistent rain that fell Friday. “We were just trying to stay in the moment and not get too ahead of ourselves with all the rain. It’s something exciting,” Garnett said. “Something that you kind of wish you would keep playing and keep the momentum going, but the course is unplayable. So we’re happy to come in.” Garnett arrived at THE PLAYERS ranked 186th in the FedExCup. His best finish in his first 11 starts of the year was T50 but he’s coming off a T7 at last week’s Puerto Rico Open. He continued his good play Friday, making four birdies and an eagle in the 13 holes he played. STORYLINES RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY (PART 2): Rain was the biggest story for the second consecutive day. Thursday’s opening day of THE PLAYERS was delayed more than four hours because of inclement weather, allowing less than half the field to complete its first round. Just four hours of play were completed Friday before play was suspended again because of unplayable conditions. Players did not return to the course Friday, leaving 47 players yet to complete the first round (Luke List withdrew mid-round) and a requiring a Monday finish at earliest. “We’re into a Monday finish,” said PGA TOUR Chief Referee Gary Young. “We know that.” The opening round will resume no earlier than 11 a.m. ET Saturday, with players to receive the next update at 7 a.m. ET. The last Monday finish at THE PLAYERS came in 2005, with Fred Funk as champion. INSPIRED DAY ON TRACK: Former PLAYERS champion Jason Day carded an impressive 3-under 69 in his return to competition following the passing of his mother last week. The Australian reached 4-under twice on the back nine after par-5 birdies only to give a shot back each time on the following holes. Day was a late WD from last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational when he rushed to his mother Dening’s side as she lost her five-year battle with cancer. While the emotions remain raw, Day is making his best efforts to continue to do what his mother loved watching him do. On Friday he shifted some praise to his friend and caddie Luke Reardon who helped him stay focused on the task at hand. “You need a lot of commitment but also having a good game in these conditions,” 2016 champion Day said of how to excel in rainy surroundings. “A good caddie also helps maybe a shot or two out there when it’s tough. Luke knows what he’s doing, it definitely helps, and commitment is huge, especially when you come down the stretch. 17 and 18 are brutal, especially with rain.” OPPORTUNITY GAINED: As of last Sunday night, Michael Thompson was fifth alternate for THE PLAYERS. As of Friday morning, he was first alternate with 12 players yet to begin Round 1. After Tyler McCumber’s early-Friday withdrawal (shoulder injury), Thompson was next man up, and he took advantage with two birdies and an eagle in his first five holes. He stands 2-under through 12 holes, currently T33. FOUR-SPOT FOR TOP SPOT: Four players have a chance to usurp Jon Rahm for the world No. 1 position upon the conclusion of THE PLAYERS Championship. A world No. 1 scenario exists for each of Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland, Patrick Cantlay and Scottie Scheffler. Click here for a deep dive into the scenarios. NOTABLES DANIEL BERGER (5 under thru 16): He was 1 over after seven holes, but then birdied six of his next nine holes (Nos. 8, 9, 11-12, 14-15). DUSTIN JOHNSON (4 under thru 16): The former FedExCup champ had hit his tee shot at the island-green 17th to 18 feet when play was delayed. A 68 would match his second-best opening round at this event (his lowest is 66). SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (4 under thru 15): The FedExCup leader is off to another strong start, going bogey-free thus far. He has won two of his past three events, including last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. He could go to world No. 1 with a win. BROOKS KOEPKA (3 under thru 15): A double-bogey at No. 5 is his only over-par hole thus far. He also has five birdies. JUSTIN THOMAS (2 under thru 15): The defending champ was 1 over after four holes but rebounded with birdies on three of TPC Sawgrass’ most difficult par-4s, Nos. 5, 7 and 14. RORY McILROY (1 over thru 15): It was an up-and-down day for the 2019 champ. He followed a bogey on the first hole with three consecutive birdies, but then made three bogeys and no birdies the rest of the way. COLLIN MORIKAWA (E thru 15): Three birdies and three bogeys have him at even par. He also could go to No. 1 in the world this week. WORTH WATCHING BY THE NUMBERS 4 – Number of balls hit into the water at 17 thus far, out of 119 players to complete the hole. 6 – Number of players currently bogey-free. Kramer Hickok (67) and Taylor Pendrith (68) hold the only two completed bogey-free rounds, while Brice Garnett (6-under thru 13), Scottie Scheffler (4-under thru 15), Zach Johnson (2-under thru 14) and Denny McCarthy (2-under thru 13) have the chance to join them. 1 – Only one of the 18 holes at TPC Sawgrass is yet to yield at least one penalty shot during the extended first round. The par-4 sixth hole hasn’t been a pushover, playing as the 11th most difficult so far at 4.008, but it is penalty-free. 47 – Players who still need to complete the first round upon the resumption of play, which will occur no earlier than 11 a.m. ET Saturday.

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