Jordan Spieth soared up the Sawgrass leaderboard and revealed it was a serving US Marine who had inadvertently spared him a possible missed cut at The Players Championship.

Spieth was five over for his second round on Friday heading to the 18th hole, where a wild drive looked set to find the water and leave him in even deeper trouble.

Already on the cut borderline at two over, Spieth got a lucky break when the stray tee shot struck a spectator's knee, and bounced not into the drink but back onto the fairway.

He was gifted a reprieve, played his second shot just short of the green and then chipped in for an eagle to get back to level par through 36 holes.

Following that with a six-under 66 on Saturday to move two shots outside the top 10 gave Spieth hope of figuring even higher on the leaderboard on Sunday.

"Especially with the way my round finished yesterday I have nothing to lose, I have everything to gain," Spieth said.

Addressing Friday's lucky break, Spieth was asked whether he had since made contact with the man whose knee felt the full force of his ball.

"He's over there right now," Spieth said. "He's an active Marine. His name is Matt. He didn't want anything."

Spieth added: "I spent a little time with him yesterday. He didn't want anything, but I thought if I could do anything for him, I'd try to, and the [PGA] Tour stepped in and hooked him up too.

"So hopefully he's having a good weekend. And his knee, I mean, once I found out he was an active Marine I don't really think getting hit in the knee really does much to those guys.

"I would like to say once the cut moved to two over I felt like I could have still finagled my way through. But it's still two shots that it saved me at least. That will make a difference regardless tomorrow."

Jordan Spieth needed an incredible stroke of luck to sneak under the cut-line during Friday's weather-interrupted second round of The Players Championship.

On a day when the two best performers from round one – Chad Ramey and Collin Morikawa – both shot over par, the top story was the unlikely eagle on the final hole from Spieth to go from two over to even par.

Likely needing a birdie to make the cut, Spieth sliced his drive towards the water, but instead of going in and ending his week, it struck a spectator's knee and ricocheted back into the fairway.

He went on to put his second shot on the par-five ninth hole into the greenside rough, where he would chip in for eagle.

After the round, Spieth said he was "trying to get that guy's information and see literally whatever he wants this weekend because everything from here on out is because it hit him".

Meanwhile, still with plenty of holes to play after weather forced the afternoon starters to wrap up early, South Africa's Christiaan Bezuidenhout (through 14) and Canada's Adam Svensson (through 11) sit two strokes clear of the field at eight under.

Morikawa could not replicate his opening 65, sitting at one over for his round through 11 holes and six under overall, tied with fellow American Ben Griffin and Australia's Min Woo Lee (through 15) in third.

World number two Scottie Scheffler (through 10) is with Taylor Pendrith as the only players at five under, while Jason Day and Viktor Hovland headline the final group in the top 10 at four under.

The field lost world number one Jon Rahm as he withdrew due to illness an hour before teeing off, while Rory McIlroy is almost certainly going to miss the cut at six over with eight holes to play.

Chad Ramey put together a memorable round on Thursday as he shot an eight-under 64 to lead The Players Championship after 18 holes.

Ramey, 30, has one PGA Tour victory to his name and is defying his recent form, having missed the cut in each of his past three starts, and he has not had a top-30 finish since October.

He finished his first trip around The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass with four birdies on the front nine and four more on the back nine – including on the famous 'island green' 17th hole – and was one of the few players to go bogey-free.

He is one stroke clear of two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, who was the only competitor to shoot a seven-under 65, also going bogey-free with five birdies and an eagle.

While Morikawa is the only player within two strokes of the lead, rookie Justin Suh has a chance to join him when he resumes on Friday with three holes to finish off. He is tied for third at five under, although his next shot will be a putt for eagle on the 16th.

Suh is joined by Taylor Pendrith and Ben Griffin at five under, while world number two Scottie Scheffler headlines the group tied for sixth at four under.

Viktor Hovland and Jordan Spieth are still in the mix after impressive three-under 69s as part of the afternoon group, who played in the trickier conditions, and coming off four consecutive top-10 finishes Jason Day is one further back at two under.

It was a day to forget for pre-tournament fancies Rory McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick, both at four over, while Hayden Buckley will never forget his shot of the day after acing at the famous 17th.

Kurt Kitayama made sure his 50th start on the PGA Tour would be one he never forgets after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational by one stroke on Sunday with a final score of nine under.

Kitayama, 30, is in his seventh season after making his debut in the 2016-17 campaign, and he finally earned his first PGA Tour victory to go with two wins on the European Tour and one Asian Tour triumph.

It was far from smooth sailing, with a catastrophic triple-bogey on the ninth hole ruining Kitayama's bright start to his final trip around Bay Hill, taking him from a two-stroke lead at 11 under, back to one behind the leaders.

But he kept his composure, rattling off seven pars in a row to begin his back nine, before what ended up being the tournament-winning birdie on the tricky par-three 17th.

Rory McIlroy and Harris English both had birdie putts on the 18th to reach nine under, but could not convert, meaning Kitayama just needed a par on the last to secure the win.

He left himself with a long two-putt for the title, and he almost made it in one, coming up an inch short to set up a tap-in par.

Illustrating how difficult the course played over the weekend, Kitayama was nine under through two rounds, and finished with back-to-back 72s as the field failed to chase him down.

McIlroy briefly tasted the outright lead after Kitayama's triple and Jordan Spieth's late collapse, but the Northern Irishman's seven birdies were balanced out by five bogeys, including two in a row on the 14th and 15th while he was out in front.

He finished tied for second at eight under with English, who was the only player in the field to finish with no bogeys on Saturday or Sunday.

Spieth found himself at 10 under through 13, but imploded with three bogeys over his next four to tie for fourth at seven under with Patrick Cantlay, Scottie Scheffler and Tyrell Hatton.

After a five-over outing on Saturday, Davis Riley bounced back with a 66 for the round of the day, catapulting him into an unlikely top-10 finish at six under.

Kurt Kitayama recovered from a double-bogey to remain the outright leader after three rounds of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, but a star-studded chasing pack is well within reach.

Kitayama led by two strokes coming into his third trip around Bay Hill, but he did well to salvage an even-par 72 to stay at nine under after four birdies on the back-nine.

His lead was trimmed to one, with world number two and defending champion Scottie Scheffler joined by Viktor Hovland in a tie for second at eight under.

Hovland was one of three competitors to shoot the round of the day, with a bogey-free 66, while Scheffler had a four-under day with seven birdies and three bogeys.

Alone in fourth at seven under is Tyrell Hatton, who matched Hovland's bogey-free 66 after rounds of 71 and 72, while world number three Rory McIlroy is joined by Harris English at six under in a tie for fifth.

Close friends Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth will likely be paired together for the final round after joining Pierceson Coody – the day's third 66 – in a tie for seventh at five under.

Max Homa and Cameron Young are still in the hunt at four under, while top-10 talents Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele headline the logjam at three under.

 

Jon Rahm's brilliant recent run came to a dramatic halt in windy conditions as he slipped down the leaderboard on day two at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Friday, with Kurt Kitayama taking a two-stroke lead.

Rahm, who has claimed five wins from his past nine starts worldwide, had led the event after an opening-day seven-under 65 but carded a four-over round of 76 on day two to be six strokes off the pace at three-under overall.

The Spaniard's round saw him come back to earth, falling away dramatically late with three bogeys and a double bogey in his final five holes at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge in Florida.

Rahm's struggles opened the door for Kitayama, who had been joint second after the first day. Kitayama backed that up with a four-under 68 with five birdies and one bogey to be nine-under overall.

Kitayama has led three events this season after 36 holes and is yet to convert any into victories.

Over Kitayama's shoulder is three-time major winner Jordan Spieth who found his putting groove to card a three-under-par 69, sitting two shots off the lead at seven-under overall. Spieth might have been closer if not for a bogey on the 18th after a poor drive.

Xander Schauffele and Corey Conners are tied at six under, with Davis Riley, Patrick Cantlay, Matt Fitzpatrick and Justin Thomas behind them at five under. Conners carded the day's best round with a six-under 66.

Last month's Honda Classic winner Chris Kirk was tied for second after the opening day but also dropped away with a day-two 75 that included two double bogeys.

Among those to miss the projected cut, with play suspended with two players left on the course, were Collin Morikawa, Tom Hoge and Hideki Matsuyama.

Jon Rahm lived up to his billing as the hottest talent in professional golf after starting his week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational with a seven-under 65 on Thursday.

Rahm, the world number one, boasts five wins from his past nine starts worldwide and has not finished an event outside the top 10 since finding himself in a tie for 15th in August's Tour Championship.

Coming off a victory in his most recent outing at the Genesis Invitational, Rahm is looking to secure another of the PGA Tour's new elevated events, with the increased prize pool drawing 44 of the world's top-50 players to the famous Bay Hill course.

He certainly made a promising start in Florida, heading into day two with a two-shot lead at the top of the leader board.

Rahm began his day with three consecutive birdies and finished with another two on 17 and 18 having carded an eagle on the par-five 16th.

His sole bogey came on hole eight, failing to recover a par after a wayward tee shot.

Another competitor coming off a win in his most recent start, last week's Honda Classic champion Chris Kirk is tied for second at five under with Cameron Young and Kurt Kitayama.

Not a single player finished their round bogey-free, but Kitayama and Max Homa (two under) made it through 17 holes before their first blemishes came on the 18th.

The group tied for fifth at four under includes some of the game's biggest stars, with world number two Scottie Scheffler joined by three-time major winner Jordan Spieth, Patrick Cantlay, Xander Schauffele and resurgent fan favourite Rickie Fowler.

Scottie Scheffler reclaimed the world number one ranking after successfully defending his Waste Management Phoenix Open title with a two-stroke victory on Sunday.

Scheffler – after posting rounds of 68, 64 and 68 – closed in style with a six-under 65 to finish at 19-under overall.

He went bogey-free in his final round with four birdies and an eagle, showing his affinity for the TPC Scottsdale course after winning his first PGA Tour event at this tournament last season.

Scheffler's lead was down to only one stroke heading into the famous 16th hole, and while he could only muster a par, that proved to be enough as second-placed Nick Taylor made bogey, and Scheffler extended the lead to three strokes for a comfortable finish with a birdie on 17.

Speaking to CBS after stepping off the final green, Scheffler said he was proud of the way he battled through some average shots.

"I'm just proud of how I fought today," he said. "I didn't have my best stuff, so I grinded it out today. I wasn't hitting it good off the tee, my irons didn't feel sharp, but I played a great round of golf today."

Taylor birdied the 18th to finish alone in second at 17 under for his best result since winning the 2020 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

The red-hot Jon Rahm ended up in sole possession of third at 14 under, fellow major champion Justin Thomas finished fourth at 13 under, and former world number one Jason Day continued his return to relevance with a fifth-place result at 12 under.

The highlight of the day came from Rickie Fowler, punctuating his T10 finish with an ace on the par-three seventh hole.

Jon Rahm and Adam Hadwin provided the highlight of the third round at the Phoenix Open, where Scottie Scheffler kept hold of the lead.

World number one Scheffler carded a 68 on Saturday to maintain the two-stroke lead he held after the opening two days.

A bogey on the 13th threatened to set Scheffler back, but he recovered with a birdie on the next hole and then another on the 17th.

Yet the highlight came from Rahm and Hadwin on the Stadium Course's famous 16th hole.

With the vociferous crowd having been deprived of much excitement up until then, Hadwin – who endured a frustrating round, dropping three bogeys – planting his tee shot close to the pin, setting up a simple putt for birdie.

If that shot had the spectators on their feet, then Rahm's exceptional putt had them positively in delirium soon after, as the world number three sunk an excellent effort to on his way to a three-under 68.

Rahm moved up to T2 alongside Nick Taylor, who found timely birdies on the last two holes to head back into the clubhouse on 11 under after three rounds.

Jordan Spieth, who went round in 63 on day two, carded 69 but dropped a place to T4 along with Hadwin, with Im Sung-jae, Tyrrell Hatton, Rickie Fowler and Jason Day moving up to joint-sixth. Xander Schauffele had a disappointing round, though, and dropped three places.

It was a similar story for world number one Rory McIlroy, who bogeyed on the fourth, seventh and 17th, as well as double-bogeying the 14th. His round of 70 leaves him on three under for the week, 10 behind Scheffler.

Sam Burns was the big mover of the day as he leapt up 28 places thanks to a stunning 64, matching Scheffler's effort from Friday.

Burns struck five birdies and eagled the 13th, and is part of a five-strong group tied for 11th at eight under.

Scottie Scheffler won his first PGA Tour title 12 months ago at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and he is looking to defend that crown as he heads into the weekend with a two stroke lead at 10 under.

A large chunk of the field still have between five and eight holes remaining before they complete their second round, with a delay on Thursday creating a backlog as players had to finish their first round early Friday morning.

Scheffler was part of the early group and followed his opening 68 with a seven-under 64, and he was the only player to shoot seven under on his second trip around TPC Scottsdale.

It is shaping up as a tantalising battle at the top of the leaderboard after Jon Rahm's 66 clawed his way into a tie for second at eight under, where he is joined by round-one leader Adam Hadwin, who still has eight holes to play.

Im Sung-jae will have his sights set on posting the best second-round score, with time being called while he was six under through 12 holes, and tied for fourth with Wyndham Clark at seven under overall.

The only other player with a second-round score of six under or better was Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas, rebounding strongly from an even-par opener, and he has four holes remaining to try and match Scheffler's heroics. 

Also in a tie for sixth with Vegas are former world number one Jason Day and current world number six Xander Schauffele, while the dangerous duo of Tom Kim and Jordan Spieth are one further back at five under.

Major champions Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy are still in the hunt at three under, Viktor Hovland is at two under, and Hideki Matsuyama is at one under with five holes to play.

Kurt Kitayama sits alone atop the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am leaderboard after Friday's second round with a score of nine under.

Kitayama enjoyed a strong seven-under 64 on his opening round at Monterey Peninsula Country Club – the easiest of the three courses being used – and backed it up with a two-under 70 at the flagship Pebble Beach Golf Links.

He shot three birdies and one bogey on the championship course, which has hosted six U.S. Open tournaments, and will also be the site of Sunday's final round this weekend.

Kitayama will look to remain in pole position after playing the Spyglass Hill course in his third round, with the cut to take place after all players have played all three courses.

First-round leader Hank Lebioda found the Pebble Beach track far more difficult than Monterey Peninsula, opening the week with an eight-under 63 before following it with an even par 72 to remain at eight under, tied for second.

He is joined by fellow Americans Brandon Wu, Keith Mitchell and Joseph Bramlett – who all played at Monterey Peninsula on Friday. Of the five players to shoot rounds of five under or better, all took place at Monterey Peninsula.

Ireland's Seamus Power is one further back at seven under, and he is joined in a five-man group that includes Japan's Satoshi Kodaira and the USA's Scott Stallings, who both sit in a strong position.

Both Kodaira and Stallings have already got the two difficult courses out of the way, and will have a chance to slingshot to the top when they tee up at Monterey Peninsula on Saturday.

Of the big names, world number 11 Viktor Hovland pulled to within three strokes of the lead at six under, while three-time major champion Jordan Spieth is two further back at four under.

After failing to make the cut in each of his first five events this PGA Tour season, Hank Lebioda is alone atop the leaderboard after Thursday's opening round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Lebioda, 29, has never won on the PGA Tour before, but he looked right at home on the Monterey Peninsula Country Club course, collecting nine birdies and one bogey for an eight-under 63.

He shot to the top of the leaderboard after a blistering stretch to open his back-nine, with five birdies and two pars from seven holes.

Unfortunately for Lebioda, that will be the only time he plays at Monterey Peninsula as the tournament is spread across three courses. Every player will also get a round at Spyglass Hill and the Pebble Beach Golf Links, with the latter hosting the final round after a cut at the end of Saturday's action.

Of the seven players to shoot six under or better, six of them played at Monterey Peninsula, which makes Chad Ramey's seven-under 64 at Pebble Beach stand out.

Ramey is joined in a tie for second with fellow American Kurt Kitayama and England's Harry Hall, while France's Martin Trainer and Australia's Aaron Baddeley are joined by the USA's Eric Cole one further stroke back at six under.

The big names were quiet on the opening day, with world number 11 Viktor Hovland the best performer of the rankings' top-40 at two under.

Jordan Spieth is joined by fellow major champions Danny Willett and Matt Fitzpatrick at one under, while Kevin Kisner shot himself out of contention at four over.

Chris Kirk is alone atop the leaderboard at 11 under following Friday's second round of the Sony Open in Hawaii.

Kirk was in a three-way tie for the lead after shooting a six-under 64 on Thursday, and he followed it up with a 65 in his second trip around Waialae Country Club.

He began his round in blistering fashion, collecting birdies on each of the first three holes to put himself in a commanding position, and he finished with a birdie on the 18th.

J.J. Spaun looked a sure thing to finish the day tied with Kirk at 11 under as he reached his final hole – the par-five ninth – with a share of the lead.

Despite it playing as the easiest hole on the course, Spaun found the water, resulting in his first bogey of the week to head into the weekend at 10 under.

Spaun is tied for second with American compatriot Taylor Montgomery, while Hayden Buckley and David Lipsky are at nine under to round out the top-five.

England's Ben Taylor is part of the three-man group at eight under, Germany's Stephan Jaeger is at seven under, Kim Si-woo is at six under and former Masters champion Adam Scott headlines the group at five under.

Hideki Matsuyama finished the day two strokes inside the cut-line at three under, while joint first-round leader Jordan Spieth imploded for a five-over 75 to miss the cut at one under.

Jordan Spieth owns a share of the lead after the first round of the Sony Open in Hawaii, tied with Chris Kirk and Taylor Montgomery at six under.

A three-time major champion, Spieth has one PGA Tour win in each of the past two seasons, and this week he is seeking his first top-10 finish since The Open in July.

He posted seven birdies and one bogey during his first trip around the picturesque Waialae Country Club course to shoot 64, while Kirk and Montgomery reached their scores in identical fashion, joining Spieth at the top after both birdieing their final hole.

Kirk has not won a PGA Tour event since the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in 2015, but he flashed some form this past season with four top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth at May's PGA Championship. Montgomery entered the season with no career top-10s, but has three in his seven starts this campaign.

There is a seven-way tie for fourth place at five under featuring Slovakia's Rory Sabbatini from the early group and South Korea's Seong-hyeon Kim from the late finishers.

The densely packed field means there is a further logjam at four under including Maverick McNealy and top-five finisher from last week's Sentry Tournament of Champions, J.J. Spaun.

England's Aaron Rai is at three under, Japanese major champion Hideki Matsuyama is at two under and fellow former Masters champion Adam Scott of Australia is at one under.

The highlight of the day came from Ryan Armour, who finished his round at even par, but enjoyed a moment he will never forget after hitting his second ace of the season on the par-three 17th.

Collin Morikawa will head into the weekend leading the Sentry Tournament of Champions by two strokes, sitting at 16 under through 36 holes.

Morikawa has looked right at home on the Kapalua Plantation Course on the island of Maui, following his nine-under 64 with a seven-under 66 on Friday.

He began his second round in blistering form, birdieing four of his first five holes, before going on to finish with his second consecutive bogey-free day.

The two-time major champion has not won a PGA Tour event since The Open Championship in July 2021, while his last win in any event came at the DP World Tour Championship in November 2021.

He will be looking to fend off the challenge of world number two Scottie Scheffler, who is tied for second at 14 under after a pair of 66s.

Scheffler's nine birdies on Friday tied with Luke List for the day's most, and he is joined at 14 under by J.J. Spaun.

Jordan Spieth used a pair of eagles to pull to within striking distance, birdieing the 18th to jump into outright fourth place at 13 under.

Young phenom Tom Kim is alone in fifth at 12 under, while major champions Matt Fitzpatrick and Jon Rahm are tied for sixth at 11 under.

List and Tony Finau are in the group at 10 under, with Hideki Matsuyama headlining those at nine under, and the pair of Will Zalatoris and Adam Scott will still feel they are in with a chance – eight off the pace at eight under.

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