Jon Rahm will defend his title when the 88th Masters takes place at Augusta National from April 11-14.

Rahm is bidding to become just the fourth player to win back-to-back green jackets after Jack Nicklaus, Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods.

Here, the PA news agency looks at some of the main contenders for the year’s first major championship.

The 2022 champion has been in brilliant form in 2024, winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots and seven days later becoming the first player to win back-to-back Players Championship titles at Sawgrass. Switching putters on the advice of Rory McIlroy has proved vital, although missed short putts did cost him a third straight win in the Houston Open. Rightly rated favourite for a second green jacket at the kind of odds previously only offered for peak-era Tiger Woods.

Started last year with a four-putt double bogey on the first but still shot an opening 65 and ended up winning his second major title by four shots over LIV Golf duo Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson. Remarkably returns to Augusta as a fellow member of the Saudi-backed breakaway, a shock move which ensures his competitive sharpness will be under scrutiny. Will be hoping Koepka and Mickelson proved last year that experience of the course is more important than current form.

McIlroy’s 10th attempt to win the Masters and complete a career grand slam comes on the back of some underwhelming form since winning in Dubai in January, although the world number two remains second favourite behind Scheffler. His recent record at Augusta National includes a thrilling final round of 64 in 2022 and two missed cuts and the four-time major winner is reportedly set to skip the pre-tournament par-three contest to fully focus on his bid to make history.

Schauffele insisted the best was yet to come in his career after narrowly missing out on the Players Championship title, the Olympic champion taking a one-shot lead into the final round only to get overhauled by a charging Scheffler. Failing to get over the line perpetuated the belief in some circles that Schauffele has underachieved, although he has seven PGA Tour titles to go with his gold medal from Tokyo, along with 11 top-10 major finishes, including three in his last five starts at Augusta.

Most golf fans are well aware of the statistic which makes Aberg appear an unlikely contender, namely that Fuzzy Zoeller was the last player to win the Masters on their tournament debut back in 1979. In addition, the Masters will be Aberg’s first appearance in any major, but the 24-year-old Swede has defied the odds since turning professional in June 2023, winning on the DP World Tour and PGA Tour and justifying his wild card by helping Europe regain the Ryder Cup.

What a difference a year makes.

Twelve months ago Jon Rahm headed to Augusta National as the winner of three of his first eight tournaments of the year, started with a four-putt double bogey and still went on to win the Masters.

One year on, Rahm will make the drive down Magnolia Lane as a member of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League and with just five of their 54-hole events under his belt before defending his title.

The change is all the more startling given Rahm’s previous publicly stated opinions on LIV’s format and his claim that he played golf to win titles, not money, claims reinforced by his comments immediately after slipping on the green jacket.

Rahm dedicated his triumph to Seve Ballesteros after claiming his second major title on the 40th anniversary of his late idol’s second win at Augusta National, a win which also came on what would have been Ballesteros’ 66th birthday.

“History of the game is a big part of why I play and one of the reasons why I play, and Seve being one of them,” said Rahm, whose father took up golf after watching Ballesteros captain Europe to victory in the 1997 Ryder Cup at Valderrama.

“If it wasn’t for that Ryder Cup in ’97, my dad and I talk about it all the time, we don’t know where I would be or where as a family we would be.

“For me to get it done on the 40th anniversary of his win, his birthday, on Easter Sunday, it’s incredibly meaningful.”

Rahm was also well aware that his win took him halfway to completing a career grand slam and joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only players to have won all four majors.

Joining LIV does not immediately impact on Rahm’s ability to achieve that goal, his Masters win earning him a lifetime exemption for Augusta and five-year exemptions for the US PGA and Open Championship.

The 29-year-old was already eligible to compete in the US Open through 2031 thanks to his victory at Torrey Pines, but the question of whether his game will be affected by the switch to LIV remains to be answered.

In Rahm’s absence, the mantle of most dominant player on the PGA Tour has undoubtedly switched to his predecessor as Masters champion, world number one Scottie Scheffler.

Scheffler’s worst finish this season is a tie for 17th and he followed his five-shot win in the Arnold Palmer Invitational by becoming the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship at Sawgrass.

On his next start a fortnight later, Scheffler missed from six feet for birdie on the 18th to force a play-off in the Houston Open, a tournament which saw his run of 28 consecutive rounds under par broken by a careless three-putt from six feet on the same hole in round two.

Scheffler’s form – aided by taking up Rory McIlroy’s suggestion of a change in putter – means he is as short as 7/2 with some bookmakers to win a second Masters title, the kind of odds not seen since Tiger Woods was making them look like good value.

McIlroy is second favourite despite an underwhelming run of form since winning in Dubai in January, while Woods himself can be backed at 150/1 following his withdrawal from the Genesis Invitational, his sole start in 2024.

Making a record 24th consecutive cut in the Masters would be an achievement for the 48-year-old, but the likes of Rahm, Scheffler and McIlroy will have their sights set considerably higher.

Akshay Bhatia shot an opening nine-under-par 63 to take a three-shot lead at the Valero Texas Open in San Antonio.

The American did not drop a shot as he followed four birdies on the front nine with five on the second, including four in his final five holes.

Bhatia sits ahead of Brendon Todd and Justin Lower with Max Homa among a group of four players two shots further back.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is tied for eighth on three under par after going bogey free with three birdies.

The world number two, who recently had a lesson with Tiger Woods’ former coach Butch Harmon, told PGATour.com after his round: “What I’ve been trying to do the last couple weeks is no different than what I’ve been trying to do previously; he just sort of gave me a different way to do it.

“You could tell someone five different things and like for the same feel – like to a piece of a swing, but sometimes none of them resonated, sometimes all of them, sometimes one thing.

“It’s just one of those things over the past few months that nothing was resonating with me.

“He gave me a tiny little something that I went with and, as I said, it’s felt a little better over the last two weeks and felt pretty good out there.”

A win at next week’s Masters will see McIlroy join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods as the only players to have won all four major championships.

Three-time major winner Jordan Spieth had a dour round of 73 salvaged by a hole-in-one on the par three 16th.

Rory McIlroy believes his lesson with Tiger Woods’ former coach Butch Harmon was “really worthwhile” as he prepares to make his 10th attempt to complete a career grand slam.

McIlroy needs to win the Masters to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods as the only players to have won all four major championships.

The world number two started the year well with victory in the Dubai Desert Classic in January, but his form on the PGA Tour has been underwhelming ahead of this week’s Valero Texas Open.

McIlroy revealed on the “I Can Fly” podcast with PGA Tour professional Morgan Hoffmann that he had recently visited Harmon in Las Vegas and expanded on the visit in his pre-tournament press conference in San Antonio.

“I’ve done this a number of times in my career,” McIlroy said. “I met Butch when I was 14 years old, so we’ve always had a good relationship. If there’s one guy that I want to go and get a second opinion from, it’s him.

“I think just after the Players (Championship) and just sort of struggling through that Florida swing and with some of the misses I was having with my irons, I just thought to myself I’m obviously missing something here and I just would love to go and get a second opinion and have him take a look, a second set of eyes.

“The one thing with Butch is you go spend time with him and you’re always going to feel better about yourself at the end of it whether you’re hitting it better or not.

“He’s sort of half golf coach, half psychologist in a way. It’s fun to go out there, I went and spent probably four hours with him in Vegas. He said a couple of things to me that resonated.

“It’s the same stuff that I’ve been trying to do with my coach Michael (Bannon), but he sort of just said it in a different way that maybe hit home with me a little bit more.

“It was a really worthwhile trip and I feel like I’ve done some good work after that. As I said, this is a good week to see where that work has gotten me.”

Speaking before the Players Championship last month, where he carded an opening 65 before fading to a tie for 19th, McIlroy revealed the reasons behind his current struggles.

“I have this amazing feeling with my woods at the minute, but when I try to recreate that feeling with the irons, it starts left and goes further left,” McIlroy said.

“I have a swing thought for my woods and I need a different swing thought for my irons and that’s what I’ve been working on over the last couple of days. I feel like every other part of the game is in great shape.”

Rory McIlroy has consulted Tiger Woods’ former coach Butch Harmon as he prepares to make his 10th attempt to complete a career grand slam.

McIlroy needs to win the Masters to join Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Woods as the only players to have tasted victory in all four major championships.

The world number two started the year well with victory in the Dubai Desert Classic in January, but his form on the PGA Tour has been underwhelming ahead of this week’s Valero Texas Open.

“I went last week to see Butch Harmon for a golf lesson,” McIlroy told PGA Tour professional Morgan Hoffmann on the “I Can Fly” podcast.

“I’ve seen him over the years, like once every few years I’ll say, ‘Hey, Butch, can I just come see you and you can take a look and see what you think.’”

McIlroy added that as he was leaving for the airport – Harmon is based in Las Vegas – his daughter Poppy asked him where he was going.

When he said he was going for a golf lesson, McIlroy said: “She said, ‘Dada, you already know how to play golf.’ That’s probably the best piece of advice I’ve gotten in the last three years.”

McIlroy’s long-time coach is fellow Northern Irishman Michael Bannon, although the four-time major winner has also worked with Pete Cowen.

Speaking before the Players Championship last month, where he carded an opening 65 before fading to a tie for 19th, McIlroy revealed the reasons behind his current struggles.

“I have this amazing feeling with my woods at the minute, but when I try to recreate that feeling with the irons, it starts left and goes further left,” McIlroy said.

“I have a swing thought for my woods and I need a different swing thought for my irons and that’s what I’ve been working on over the last couple of days. I feel like every other part of the game is in great shape.”

Rory McIlroy has been urged to block out all distractions to deal with the “baggage” associated with his attempts to win the Masters and complete a career grand slam.

The advice came from two-time US Open champion Curtis Strange as McIlroy prepares to contest this week’s Valero Texas Open before heading to Augusta National for the first major of the year.

Strange believes that will help McIlroy keep his mind off what he will be trying to achieve at Augusta and recounted a recent conversation with top psychologist Bob Rotella, who has worked with McIlroy on the mental side of the game.

“Bob said the main thing for Rory next week is to stay calm and cool,” Strange said in an ESPN teleconference.

“He had this phrase ‘the mind has to be stronger than the swing’ and I think in Rory’s case that is exactly right because he does have some baggage coming in here.

“He knows he could have won here a couple of times, but he knows he has the game as well.

“So do what you know how to do. Play your own game, play smart, play a little more conservative golf around Augusta and then on Sunday afternoon, if the chips fall, he’ll be in contention.

“One of the best stories I have ever heard is when Claude Harmon was the pro at Winged Foot when the US Open was there.

“They played a practice round with [Ben] Hogan, who said ‘Claude, you have a chance this week if you look at the grass all week long’. Meaning don’t make eye contact with friends, don’t speak to everybody.

“I think that relates to Rory next week. He’s been coming in here for so long with so much on his mind that it’s all about you next week, Rory. It’s all about what you can do, your game.”

Ryder Cup winner Robert MacIntyre trolled his American hosts at the Valspar Championship in Florida after labelling his caddie’s bib with the scoreline from Europe’s victory in Rome.

The Scot, who was unbeaten with two-and-a-half-points in the Marco Simone Country Club in September, took advantage of a quirk of the tournament which allows players to choose their own wording for their bagman’s attire.

MacIntyre opted for EUR 16.5 – 11.5 USA, a reference to America’s crushing defeat as Luke Donald’s side won back the trophy, for Mike Burrows’ bib.

However, Englishman Burrows was not even on MacIntyre’s bag for the Ryder Cup as they did not pair up until a month later.

MacIntyre’s choice understandably received mixed responses. Ryder Cup Europe posted on X: “He’s only gone and done it. We approve” but their USA counterparts wrote “Never too soon to start thinking about Bethpage in 2025”, while the official PGA Tour account simply said “Too soon?”

Unfortunately for the 27-year-old left-hander he could not rediscover the form he showed in Italy, with just two birdies and a bogey in a one-under opening round which left him six off the lead set by Kevin Streelman.

The Scot’s two American playing partners Kevin Roy and Chandler Phillips both outscored him, shooting six under and three under respectively.

MacIntyre is making his ninth appearance on the PGA Tour this season and has missed the cut in half of his previous events, including last week’s Players Championship.

Zandre Roye, hailing from Jamaica, etched his name in history books as he clinched the Trinidad & Tobago Open Golf Championship title, becoming the first Jamaican to achieve this remarkable feat. Roye's stellar performance saw him dominate the field from day one, ultimately securing victory by a commanding nine-shot margin at the Tobago Plantation Golf Course on Sunday.

Throughout the four-day championship, Roye showcased exceptional consistency and skill, posting impressive scores of four over par 76, one under par 71, one over par 73, and par 72 on days one through four, respectively. Holding the lead from start to finish, Roye's determination propelled him to an overall score of four over par 292, firmly establishing his dominance over the competition.

His nearest competitor, Zico Correia from Trinidad & Tobago, trailed behind with a score of 13 over par 301, securing second place, while Chris Richards Jr., also from Trinidad & Tobago, claimed third place with a score of 18 over par 306.

Reflecting on his historic victory, Roye expressed his elation and described his mindset during the challenging conditions on the final day. Confident in his abilities and drawing on past experiences, he maintained his composure and focused on executing each shot to perfection, ultimately widening the gap between himself and his closest rivals.

Roye's commanding lead allowed him to navigate the final holes with confidence, culminating in a triumphant finish on the last hole with a nine-shot advantage. His remarkable achievement marks a significant milestone in his golfing career and reaffirms his status as one of the sport's rising stars.

Looking ahead, Roye sets his sights on the Easter Jamboree at the Upton Estate Golf & Country Club, eager to continue his winning momentum on his home course.

Despite facing formidable competition, fellow Jamaican golfers Oshae Haye and Sean Morris displayed commendable performances, finishing in 15th and 18th place, respectively, in the championship flight.

In addition to Roye's individual triumph, Jamaica secured victory in the President's Cup, propelled by the stellar performances of Roye and Haye. Trinidad & Tobago claimed second place, with St. Kitts & Nevis rounding out the top three.

Dr. Mark Newnham emerged victorious in the Senior's Flight, while Zeke Percival of St. Kitts & Nevis and Russell Latapy of Trinidad & Tobago secured second and third place, respectively.

The Jamaica Olympic Association and the Betting Gaming and Lotteries Commission played integral roles in facilitating Jamaica's participation in the championship.

Tiger Woods has been included in an 85-man field for the Masters published on the tournament’s official website.

Woods has not competed since withdrawing from February’s Genesis Invitational due to illness after six holes of his second round.

It was the 48-year-old’s first PGA Tour event of the season and just his second tournament since undergoing ankle surgery in April last year after withdrawing from the Masters during the third round.

Woods did not compete again until the Hero World Challenge in December, where he finished 18th in the 20-man field but said he was pleased with his progress and that his goal of playing one tournament a month in 2024 was “reasonable”.

The 15-time major winner has not officially confirmed his participation in the Masters but will be desperate to return to Augusta National, where he won his first major title in 1997 and his most recent in 2019.

Woods was one of the six PGA Tour player-directors who met officials from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in the Bahamas on Monday as efforts continue to make a deal to end golf’s civil war.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan met PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan in January and the players followed suit the day after the Players Championship concluded at Sawgrass.

Olympic champion Xander Schauffele believes the best is yet to come in his career after narrowly missing out on the Players Championship title.

Schauffele took a one-shot lead into the final round at Sawgrass on Sunday and was still in front of the charging Scottie Scheffler when he recorded his fourth birdie of the day on the 12th.

However, Scheffler – who had started the day five shots behind – drew level with a birdie on the 16th and Schauffele then bogeyed the 14th and 15th to leave himself with too much to do over the closing stretch.

“I think I’m always pretty tough on myself, but you kind of put it to rest to a certain extent,” Schauffele told a press conference ahead of the Valspar Championship.

“So I wouldn’t say I was too hard on myself on Sunday night.

“I accepted it, was overall pretty pleased with how I was able to play. I’d not been able to play super well since they moved the Players (from May to March), so just another close call under my belt for now.

“I just stay true to myself. I’m pretty aware of the path that I’ve been on my entire career. It’s been a slower path, I would say.

“Sounds kind of weird, but just always consider myself sort of a slower learner. Even when I was in college, I wasn’t some world beater shooting 60 and playing in Tour events when I was 16 or 17 or 18 years old even.

“There’s tons of guys who have qualified for US Opens when they were 16. That ate me up when I was a kid and it made me grind and push even harder, sort of have that chip on my shoulder.

“I just sort of look back on that, and I’ve had success, but to me I feel like the best is in front of me, and the only way it’s not going to be in front of me is if I let all these things get to my head and not play my game.”

Masters champion Jon Rahm hopes golf can achieve “some type of union” as he set his sights on a Sunday showdown with his PGA Tour rivals at Augusta National.

The Tour’s six player-directors met with officials from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) in the Bahamas on Monday as efforts continue to make a deal to end golf’s civil war.

The PIF bankrolls the breakaway LIV Golf League, which Rahm joined in a stunning move in December, meaning the majors are now the only events which see all of the world’s top players competing against each other.

“I’ve been playing good golf, but I’m definitely looking forward to joining with the rest of the best golfers in the world and teeing it up in the Masters with them,” Rahm said in a teleconference ahead of the year’s first major from April 11-14.

“I’m assuming there will be quite a few that are not happy, but from my side nothing changes. I still respect everybody on both sides and respect the game of golf above all.

“I think there’s a way of co-existing and, if there’s some type of union, I don’t know what that looks like. I just want to see again the best in the world being able to compete against the best in the world, whatever that looks like.

“If there is some type of peace achieved I think it can actually push the game forward.”

Rahm has finished third, eighth, fifth and 14th in his four LIV events to date and will compete in Miami the week before his Masters title defence. On the PGA Tour last year, Rahm won three times in eight starts before claiming his second major title at Augusta.

“I feel like my game is in really good position,” he added. “I have not played my best yet, but I can see it every tournament getting a little bit better and getting to a point where I like where I’m at coming up to the Masters.

“I am looking forward to hopefully having a great week and a great Sunday back-nine showdown with some of those great players because at the end of the day it’s what golf and spectators deserve.

“With that said, I’m hoping I can cruise the last three holes with an eight or nine-shot lead and know I can walk up 18 knowing I can make a nine or a 10 and win it, but it would be really fun also to come down to the wire and make a birdie on 18 to win it.

“That would be quite incredible.”

Rahm used the teleconference to reveal the full details of his Champions Dinner menu, including a lentil stew made to his grandmother’s recipe by chef Jose Andres.

“He called my grandma for the recipe so if somebody doesn’t like it, please don’t tell me,” Rahm joked.

“Don’t tell anyone actually.”

Scottie Scheffler overturned a five-shot deficit to become the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship in the tournament’s 50-year history.

Scheffler carded an eagle and six birdies in a flawless closing 64 at Sawgrass to finish 20 under par, a shot ahead of US Open champion Wyndham Clark, Open champion Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele.

Clark birdied the 16th and 17th to keep his hopes alive but agonisingly lipped out for another birdie on the last to force a play-off.

Overnight leader Schauffele paid the price for dropped shots on the 14th and 15th and also missed from seven feet for birdie on the treacherous 17th.

“It’s pretty special,” Scheffler told CBS. “It’s something you don’t really get the opportunity to do very often.

“It’s tough enough to win one Players so to have it back-to-back is extremely special and I’m really thankful.

“I put up a good fight for four days, Teddy (Scott, his caddie) kept me in a good head space. We had a great finish yesterday, got off to a slow start today and then the hole-out on four kind of propelled us a little bit.

“I hit a lot of good shots today, did a lot of good things this week and it’s nice to come out on top.”

Asked how he had coped with the neck injury he suffered during Friday’s second round, Scheffler added: “I’m a pretty competitive guy and didn’t want to give up in the tournament.

“I did what I could to hang around until my neck got better and then today it felt really good.”

Scheffler, who also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots last week, kickstarted his challenge by holing out from 92 yards for an eagle on the fourth and also birdied the fifth, eighth and ninth to race to the turn in 31.

That gave the world number one his first share of the lead and although Schauffele moved back in front with birdies on the seventh and ninth, Scheffler birdied the 11th and then drove the green on the short par-four 12th to set up another.

Schauffele picked up a shot on the same hole to take the outright lead again, but Scheffler birdied the 16th to draw level before Schauffele crucially dropped shots on the 14th and 15th.

Xander Schauffele produced a superb display to overtake Wyndham Clark for the outright lead after the third round of the Players Championship at Sawgrass.

US Open champion Clark – who was four ahead of Schauffele and Canada’s Nick Taylor overnight at 14-under par – started his round by digging out of the rough to make a birdie.

However, Olympic champion Schauffele continued to chase him down, sinking a 14-foot birdie on the sixth to close within two shots which was down to just one stroke at the turn.

After Clark found the water off the 12th tee before saving par, Schauffele capitalised with yet another birdie and then made a 58-foot putt at the 14th which saw him take a one-shot lead.

Clark, though, landed a 30-foot birdie on the par-five 16th to level things up again before finding the water at the 17th and opting to take another off the tee rather than a drop, which saw him make a four and so give Schauffele a one-shot lead heading to the 18th.

Schauffele tapped in his par for a superb 65, while Schauffele was two under for the day with his 70 for a 17-under total.

Open champion Brian Harman built on a solid start to sign for a 64, the best score of the week so far, as he put himself in contention at 15 under.

Harman found the trees at the par-five ninth, which resulted in him making a six, but he then picked up successive birdies with another from 17 feet on the 14th closing the gap on the lead.

Rory McIlroy’s bid for a second Players Championship victory received a late rally with birdies on the final three holes to sign for a 69 and sit at nine-under overall.

The Northern Irishman, who had shared the first-round lead, went into the turn level, but made successive birdies from the 11th – only to then take a six on the 14th after finding the far greenside bunker.

However, three straight birdies from the 16th, when he played out from under the trees, gave the world number two some hope of making a late charge on Sunday.

World number one Scottie Scheffler continued to be troubled by a neck problem as he slipped down the leaderboard after a round of 68.

Scheffler – bidding to become the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship title in its 50-year history – came to Sawgrass on the back of an impressive five-shot win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

However, the American had needed treatment from a PGA Tour physio dudring his second round, and started Saturday with black tape on his neck.

A birdie at the par-five second was followed by a bogey at the fifth before Scheffler recovered another stroke on the next and headed into the turn at one under.

Scheffler found the water off the tee at the 12th, but recovered to save par and then made three birdies over the closing three holes to keep himself in the hunt at 12 under despite his fitness worries.

Taylor, meanwhile, plummeted down the leaderboard after a bogey on the fourth was followed by a six at the par-four sixth, another at the ninth and then 10th. Although he picked up a couple of shots from the next, yet another bogey on the 18th saw him finish with a four-over 76.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick recovered from a double bogey on the fourth and another dropped shot two holes later to finish with four birdies on the back nine in his 68.

Fitzpatrick is tied for fourth at 13 under alongside Maverick McNealy, who hit a second successive 68, while an eagle on 16 helped Sahith Theegala to a 67, which sees him one stroke back in a tie for sixth alongside Scheffler.

Wyndham Clark looked to maintain his slender lead over Xander Schauffele as moving day got into full swing at the third round of the Players Championship at Sawgrass.

The US Open champion – who was four ahead of Olympic champion Schauffele and Canada’s Nick Taylor overnight at 14-under par – started his round by digging out of the rough to make a birdie.

However, Schauffele continued to chase him down, sinking a 14-foot birdie on the sixth to close within two shots which was down to just one stroke at the turn.

Clark, though, promptly picked up another birdie on the seventh, only to drop it straight back on the next and went into the turn one under for the day.

World number one Scottie Scheffler was playing through the pain barrier, having received treatment from a PGA Tour physio during his second round, and started Saturday with black tape on his neck.

Scheffler is bidding to become the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship title in its 50-year history and came to Sawgrass on the back of an impressive five-shot win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

A birdie at the par-five second was followed by a bogey at the fifth before Scheffler recovered another stroke on the next and headed into the turn at one under, missing a birdie chance from six feet.

Schauffele, though, kept the pressure on as he sunk his to move within one at 14 under overall.

Rory McIlroy’s bid for a second Players Championship victory had been dented by a second round of 73 to drop eight shots off the pace, having shared the first-round lead following an opening 65.

The Northern Irishman started Saturday’s round brightly, picking up a birdie on the second only to then drop a shot straight away on the par-three third.

Although he made successive birdies from the 11th, a double bogey at the 14th saw his hopes fade further after finishing the far greenside bunker.

Taylor, meanwhile, dropped down the leaderboard after a bogey on the fourth was followed by a six at the par-four sixth and another at the ninth to go into the turn at four over for the day.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick had started the day in a tie for third. He made a good start, picking up a birdie from two feet on the first hole but then suffered a double bogey on the fourth and dropped another stroke at both the sixth and ninth.

Open champion Brian Harman was enjoying a solid round to move into contention, having built on being two under through the first four holes.

Harman found the trees at the par-five ninth, which resulted in him making a six, but he then picked up successive birdies to sit at five under for the day through 11 holes.

Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg climbed up the leaderboard after a five-under 67, which could have been lower but for a bogey on the first and last holes, while Doug Ghim was also in the clubhouse at nine under after his 66.

Americans Sam Burns and Adam Schenk had been among the biggest movers of the early starters to both sit at eight under.

Burns – who just survived the cut – carded a seven-under-par 65, which saw him land a 38-foot birdie putt on the 17th, while Schenk hit a 66, including an eagle on the 16th.

Rickie Fowler finished at four over after a round of 76 saw him drop down the leaderboard – the American having shouted at a fan on the 16th tee for apparently disturbing his swing with noise of their camera clicking.

Rory McIlroy’s bid for a second Players Championship victory suffered a potentially fatal blow as Scottie Scheffler played through the pain barrier to keep his hopes of an historic title defence alive.

McIlroy held a share of the overnight lead following an opening 65 at Sawgrass, but could only add a second round of 73 to slump eight shots behind US Open champion Wyndham Clark.

An erratic start saw McIlroy card three birdies and three bogeys in the first six holes and, after reaching the turn in 35 with a birdie on the ninth, the world number two bogeyed the 12th, birdied the 13th and double-bogeyed the next in a frustrating inward nine of 38.

Scheffler had earlier received treatment from a PGA Tour physio during a second round of 69 which left him six behind Clark, who reached halfway at 14 under par thanks to a second-consecutive 65.

“I hit a shot on my second hole today and I felt a little something in my neck,” Scheffler, who had started from the 10th hole, explained.

“Then I tried to hit my tee shot on 12 and that’s when I could barely get the club back. So I got some treatment, maybe it loosened up a tiny bit, but most of the day I was pretty much labouring to get the club somehow away from me.

“I did what I could to kind of stay in the tournament today and hopefully it’ll loosen up and then I’ll be able to make somewhat normal swings tomorrow.

“The way I was getting around the course, the way my neck was feeling, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to continue playing, so yeah, good fight out there.”

Scheffler, who won the Arnold Palmer Invitational by five shots on Sunday, is bidding to become the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship title in its 50-year history.

Clark made eight birdies – including five in six holes around the turn – to end the day four shots clear of Olympic champion Xander Schauffele and Canada’s Nick Taylor, with Matt Fitzpatrick and Maverick McNealy another stroke back.

“My iron play’s been very solid, I’ve rolled in a handful of putts and then I’ve really been mentally strong so I’d say all of those things are why I’m sitting where I am right now,” Clark said.

England’s Fitzpatrick held the outright lead when he carded his fifth birdie of the day on the third, his 12th hole, to reach 10 under par, only to find the water with his approach from the rough on the next to run up a double bogey.

“I felt the lie was good enough to kind of hack it on to the right side (of the green),” said Fitzpatrick, who birdied his final hole of the day to add a 69 to his opening 66.

“I was aiming at the right bunker, which if you kind of go back there, you realise how far right it was. It just kind of snagged me and went left.

“Otherwise I felt like I did everything well. Just felt like I played solid overall. Made a couple of putts when I needed to, drove the ball well and my approach play was good as well.”

Asked about trailing Clark by five shots, Fitzpatrick added: “Anything can happen over the weekend, there’s still two days, so you never know.

“Another couple of six-under rounds over the weekend and you never know what can happen. So, for me it’s just about trying to stay patient, just keep doing what I’m doing and go from there.”