Wild eagle puts Aussie in hunt for 'scary' $7m

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Scottie Scheffler capped disconnected a agelong time of 26 holes with 1 past birdie connected Sunday (AEDT) that gave him a 7-under 65 and a two-shot pb astatine The Players Championship, with nary 1 other from the apical 10 successful the satellite wrong 7 shots of him.

That mightiness not marque the last circular immoderate easier fixed the quality of TPC Sawgrass arsenic it dries retired from rainfall that led to a delay.

Min Woo Lee of Australia, the younger member of US Women's Open champion Minjee Lee, stayed with Scheffler stride-for-stride aft holing retired from 131 yards connected the opening hole.

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His lone bogey came astatine the extremity with a 3 putt bogey, giving him a 66.

Lee lone got into The Players Championship 2 weeks agone erstwhile helium narrowly stayed successful the apical 50 aft the Honda Classic.

Now he's successful the last radical with the Masters champion. Scheffler was astatine 14-under 202.

Cameron Davis of Australia had a 67 and was 4 shots behind, followed by a radical 5 backmost that included Tommy Fleetwood and Aaron Rai of England, who made a hole-in-one connected the 17th.

It was the archetypal clip the land greenish has yielded 2 aces successful the aforesaid week. Chad Ramey made 1 successful the opening round.

For Scheffler, who won this twelvemonth successful the Phoenix Open, a triumph would nonstop him backmost to No.1 successful the world. Scheffler referred to the ranking arsenic "just an algorithm." What matters is winning, and each his wins truthful acold person travel against immoderate of the strongest fields successful golf.

Jon Rahm, the existent No.1 and three-time victor this year, withdrew earlier the 2nd circular with a tummy ailment.

Rory McIlroy astatine No.3 missed the chopped with rounds of 76-73.

Storms kept fractional the tract from finishing connected Saturday (AEDT). Scheffler returned astatine 7am with 8 holes to play, made a brace of birdies to get wrong two-shots of 36-hole person Adam Svensson and past swapped turns astatine the apical with Lee astir of the day.

Tom Hoge acceptable the grounds connected the Players Stadium Course erstwhile helium holed a 10-foot putt for his 10th birdie of the circular for a 62.

Nine players had antecedently changeable 63 implicit a 30-year span, starting with Fred Couples successful 1992 and astir precocious by Dustin Johnson successful 2022.

And to deliberation Hoge had a formation booked location to the Dallas country for Sunday (AEDT).

He opened with a 78, bounced backmost with a 68 and figured his 2-over full would inactive not beryllium capable erstwhile the 2nd circular finished.

The biggest assistance came from Luke List. He was abbreviated of the par-5 ninth greenish successful three, immoderate 40 feet from the hole. Get up-and-down for par and the chopped would beryllium 1 implicit and 11 players would person missed the cut.

He made treble bogey. Hoge was among those who got in. And helium took it from there, missing lone 2 greens and converting each the important putts.

Hoge present is astatine 8 under, six shots retired of the lead.

"I finished yesterday day really and woke up this greeting to ticker the scores for a fewer hours there, and that was each implicit the place," Hoge said.

"So I conscionable felt fortunate to person tee clip this morning. Just tried to spell retired and marque arsenic galore birdies arsenic I could."

He didn't cognize it was a people grounds until helium signed his card.

Whether that benignant of people is disposable connected Monday (AED) depends connected however overmuch upwind continues to adust retired the course. There was plentifulness of decent scoring, and plentifulness of h2o and trees that knocked backmost bully runs.

Ramey, the 18-hole person astatine 64, pumped 2 successful the h2o connected the 17th successful his 2nd circular and fell backmost with a 75. He bounced close backmost successful the day with a 68 and was successful the radical 5 shots behind.

Svensson, meanwhile, made birdie connected his last spread of the 2nd circular aft hitting into a hospitality structure adjacent to the ninth. That gave him a 67 and a two-shot lead, and helium started with a birdie. But it got sideways quickly, peculiarly erstwhile helium made a messiness of the 14th and took triple bogey. He changeable 75 and fell 8 back.

Patrick Cantlay, the No.4 subordinate successful the world, overcame 3 bogeys connected the beforehand for a 68 that enactment him 8 down on with Jordan Spieth, who changeable a 66.

Lee has plentifulness astatine stake. The European Tour subordinate tin gain PGA Tour presumption with a win, and a decent decorativeness is apt to determination him precocious capable successful the satellite ranking to get successful the Masters. There's besides that tiny substance of a $6.84 cardinal payoff to the winner.

"Sawgrass is scary," helium said.

"There's a batch of times wherever radical person faltered and you don't privation to beryllium 1 of those. But arsenic agelong arsenic you tin power your emotions and spell retired determination and person amusive — which I did — it was amusive playing truly bully golf."

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