The pga leaderboard today shows two of the tour’s biggest names — Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy — scraping through the cut at THE PLAYERS Championship, while a handful of notable players either withdrew or failed to advance to the weekend at TPC Sawgrass.
Pga Leaderboard Today: Scheffler and McIlroy Edge Into Weekend
Both Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy finished 1-over par, one shot inside the cut line after two rounds at THE PLAYERS Championship. McIlroy carded a 71 and closed with a birdie on the 18th after a long two-putt from 31 feet on the par-5 ninth, while Scheffler finished with a 73, saving his spot with a clutch approach to the 18th and a closing birdie. McIlroy said making the weekend was a relief: “It would have sucked to be going home this afternoon, ” he said.
The paths each took to survive the cut diverged. McIlroy battled rust and a recent back issue, having missed earlier preparation and limited his practice to a handful of shots on-site, yet his driving remained strong through 36 holes. Scheffler started the day safely inside the line before late bogeys tightened his margin, but he produced the decisive shot on 18 to stay alive.
Notable Misses and Withdrawals Shake Up Field
Several established players will not be playing on the weekend. Shane Lowry imploded late in his first round, turning an even-par arrival at the 18th into a quadruple bogey that left him 4-over and ultimately out of contention; his tee shot on the 18th also marked the 1, 000th ball hit into the water on TPC Sawgrass’ finishing hole since 2003. A separate high-profile withdrawal occurred when a player tweaked a back on his second hole Thursday and did not complete 36 holes, removing a pre-tournament favorite from contention for injury reasons.
Other notable names who failed to advance include players whose form or one bad round ended their week: one carded a first-round 77; another never found momentum after recent strong results; one was hampered after a late withdrawal from the previous week’s event and lacked his best stuff; another made a quadruple-bogey 8 on the 18th in Friday’s round that finished his tournament; and one of last season’s hottest players has seen form slide, losing strokes off the tee and on approach and posting a best finish of T19 so far this year.
Leaders, Weekend Outlook and Stakes
With Ludvig Aberg and Xander Schauffele listed atop the board, most of the game’s biggest names will tee up on Saturday, but the weekend field is altered by the exits and withdrawal. The narrow survival by Scheffler and McIlroy preserves marquee names for the final rounds, though both will face an uphill task to contend; McIlroy acknowledged short-game struggles that left him feeling he had been sharper overall than his score reflected, and Scheffler showed visible frustration during his round even as he sank the crucial putt on 18.
The immediate stakes are straightforward: players who made the cut will play two more rounds, while those who missed the line have their week concluded. For those advancing, the weekend offers an opportunity to climb the leaderboard and reset momentum ahead of forthcoming events.
What Comes Next
The tournament moves into its weekend rounds with the field reshaped by late drama and the enforced exits of several notable contenders. The confirmed standings and key developments captured here reflect play through the conclusion of Friday’s second round. Any further movement on the leaderboard will be decided over the remaining rounds at TPC Sawgrass.
