Players Leaderboard: Ludvig Åberg Leads at Midway Point as Scheffler, McIlroy Make Cut at TPC Sawgrass
The players leaderboard at the 2026 Players Championship has a clear name in front at the midway point: Ludvig Åberg, who surged into a two-shot lead after a second-round 63 on Friday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Behind him, Xander Schauffele remains in close pursuit, while several headline players—most notably Shane Lowry—won’t be around for the weekend after missing the cut.
Players Leaderboard: Åberg Takes Control After Friday 63
Åberg moved to 12-under for the week after posting a 9-under 63 on Friday, a round that included two eagles and a birdie-birdie finish. The performance gave him a two-shot cushion over Schauffele, who shot a 65 and briefly held the lead earlier in the day.
Åberg entered the tournament with two Tour victories, most recently at last year’s Genesis Invitational. His season had included a withdrawal from The American Express and a missed cut the following week, though he also finished T3 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, his best result of the season before arriving at Sawgrass.
Cutline Drama: Scheffler and McIlroy Survive, Lowry Among Notable Misses
The weekend field was not settled without tension. Scottie Scheffler, the top-ranked player in the world, nearly missed the cut after two difficult rounds. He birdied the 18th on Friday to reach 1-over for the week—one shot inside the 2-over cutline.
Rory McIlroy, last year’s winner, also finished the first two rounds at 1-over. He had nearly missed the tournament due to a back injury, but he is still in the field for the weekend.
Not everyone escaped. Lowry, the 2019 Open Champion, was among a group of surprising names who missed the cut at TPC Sawgrass. His trouble began late Thursday when he arrived at the 18th tee at even par and made a quadruple bogey, walking off at 4-over. That finish included a tee shot that splashed into the water—described as the 1, 000th tee shot hit into the water on the finishing hole at TPC Sawgrass since 2003. Lowry was unable to recover on Friday, ending his week early.
Other notable players missing the weekend included Jason Dahmen, Kurt Kitayama, Jake Knapp, Harris English, and Ben Griffin. English’s tournament ended after a quadruple bogey 8 on the 18th hole on Friday. Collin Morikawa, described as a pre-tournament favorite, withdrew after tweaking his back on his second hole on Thursday.
Purse and Weekend Viewing Schedule
The Players Championship has a $25 million purse, with $4. 5 million set for the winner. The payout scale lists $2. 725 million for second and $1. 725 million for third.
Coverage for the weekend is scheduled as follows (times listed in ET):
- Saturday: 8: 00 am–7: 00 pm
- Sunday: 7: 30 am–6: 00 pm
With Åberg holding the lead and Schauffele close behind, the players leaderboard sets up a weekend in which the front-runners have created separation—while major names like Scheffler and McIlroy will try to climb after narrowly surviving the cut.
