What We Learned Through Two Rounds of the 51st Players Championship
The second round of the 2025 Players Championship just finished, and like every year, there are storylines. From Justin Thomas’ tied course record to big starts from Rory McIlroy and Min Woo Lee, this was two rounds to remember. The Stadium Course in Jacksonville started a little nicer today than yesterday, with the wind dying down and just about 20 balls going into the iconic 17th hole in comparison to over 30 yesterday. With a high score after two rounds at 11 under par and the cut line finishing at one under, a great two rounds of golf were needed to be in contention for this tournament known as the undisclosed fifth major.
A New Course Record
Coming into the 17th hole yesterday, Justin Thomas was sitting dead last at eight over par. With seemingly no life in his game, and being tied for last through the whole field, he needed a historic turnaround to have any chance of playing during the final two days. After back to back birdies on 17 and 18 yesterday, Justin Thomas did just that, shooting a final score of 62, tying Tom Hoge for the course record during the tournament. In a post-round interview with NBC, Thomas explained how he knew something had to change after he realized he was playing the worst of anybody playing, and settled down late last night after a rant to his wife. Thomas would birdie the first two holes, before eventually birdying a record nine more, and eleven total to shoot his 62. Even with a bogey after a water shot on 18 that prevented him from beating Hoge, he not only gave himself a chance in the tournament, but delivered one of the best rounds seen on tour in months.
The Variety of the Players
When number one player in the world Scottie Scheffler said in a pre-tournament interview that “You can’t fake it around this place … there’s a lot of genius in the golf course … it doesn’t suit one type of player, it's not a horses for horse type place,” he definitely was right. While top players like McIlroy and Collin Morikawa are still near the top of the leaderboard, the current top 10 has multiple names most people wouldn’t expect. The top of the leaderboard after two rounds is a tie between Akshay Bhatia and Min Woo Lee, who have played by far the most consistent golf, tied at 11 under par. Other hot-playing guys like J.J. Spaun and Alex Smalley are also near the top, with scores of 10 under and nine under par respectively. While some holes like 16 are showing to be easy birdie holes, other ones like the iconic 17th and 18th are still proving to give trouble to the players in the field. With much variation and a cut line set at minus one, there is sure to be some variability going into the weekend with a very talented and young field wanting to compete for one of the major PGA events.
The Up and Down Golf of Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler
With the number one player in the world sitting at minus five and the former Masters champion at three under, you would think the two guys have been playing consistently, but that would be far from the truth. Jordan Spieth would start his first nine holes in the first round shooting a two under 34, including two eagles, two bogeys, and a double. Spieth would calm down today, shooting a one under 71 with two bogeys and three birdies, but the first nine would be one of the most spectacular up and down nines we’ve seen. Jordan would even hit a shot left-handed in the second round, hitting a wedge backwards out of the pine straw on the right side of the fifth hole. Scheffler on the other hand lands in a similar position as last year, when he would come back to win. Scheffler would shoot a 69 and 70, rotating respectively between four and five under after a bogey-free back nine to finish his first round. Don’t count Scottie out though, as he has shown flashes of his last-year self, but the stress of being a dad and his December hand injury has seemed to throw him off his game, especially with his putter.
