PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – A quick look at Saturday’s conclusion to the weather delayed first round and opening to the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship at TPC Sawgrass.

RELATED: Full leaderboard | Weather updates from TPC Sawgrass

THE LEADERS

FLEETWOOD HUNTING ENGLISH CURSE: Having spent most of Saturday protected from the wild winds at TPC Sawgrass England’s Tommy Fleetwood is on track to become the first player from his nation to win THE PLAYERS. Having posted a 6-under 66 back on Thursday for his opening round, Fleetwood finished just three holes of his second round with one birdie and one bogey leaving him still tied at the top at 6 under. Having finished T7 in 2018 and T5 in 2019 it’s fair to say he feels confident heading to Sunday. His only other previous 18-hole lead on the PGA TOUR was here in 2019.

HOGE HIDES AT HOME: It was a brilliant day for first round co-leader Tom Hoge. He got to stay at home. The recent AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am winner could be forgiven for having the widest smile in the field given he was one of 24 players who didn’t have to hit a shot in the wild winds on Saturday. He will return Sunday morning in milder winds, but also frigid cold, to get his second round underway knowing the last time he led after a round, he won. Joining Hoge with the luck of the draw are Keith Mitchell and Anirban Lahiri, part of a three-way tie for third at 5-under. The other man at 5-under is recent Genesis Invitational winner Joaquin Niemann who hit just three shots on Saturday and returns to the first green Sunday morning with an 11-foot putt for par.

STORYLINES

WILD WINDS WREAK HAVOC: After days of persistent precipitation that ensured THE PLAYERS will head for a Monday Finish for the first time since 2005, there was a new challenge for the elite field at TPC Sawgrass. Wild winds of 25-30mph, and gusts pushing up to 35-40mph, lashed the course and saw some serious high scores. It meant no relief despite the fact the sun was out following 4.80 inches of rain. When the second round was suspended for darkness the scoring average was trending at 75.367. Brooks Koepka struggled to an 81, while fellow major winners Zach Johnson (80), Jordan Spieth (79) and Justin Rose (71) weren’t spared either. For a full rundown on the brutal conditions check here: https://www.pgatour.com/news/2022/03/12/high-winds-wreak-havoc-at-the-players-championship-tpc-sawgrass.html

NOT SO LOVE ISLAND: The par-3 island green became a brutal prospect with 29 balls finding the water for those players both finishing off their first round and playing their second. (Only four balls found water on Thursday and Friday combined). The first three tee balls of the morning, those of Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele, all went in the drink. Emiliano Grillo had the distinction of putting two balls in the water, one from the tee and one from the drop zone. For more on the island chaos click here: https://www.pgatour.com/news/2022/03/12/saturday-high-winds-make-tpc-sawgrass-17th-even-tougher-the-players-championship.html

KEEGAN’S RULES KERFUFFLE: Keegan Bradley said his 1-under 71 in the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on Saturday was one of the best performances of his life, given the stiff winds and chilly temperatures. It could have been better if not for a desperately unlucky rules infraction. Bradley was assessed a two-stroke penalty on the par-5 16th hole, turning a par into a double bogey, when he hit his birdie putt from the wrong spot on the green. The confusion came as Bradley had placed a marker behind his ball but had not yet picked it up when a gust of wind blew it away. That meant he had not technically marked the ball and should have played his next shot from where it ended up, but instead he replaced it behind his marker. Check out what the former PGA Championship winner had to say here: https://www.pgatour.com/ground-rules/2022/03/12/bizarre-rules-gaffe-mars-one-of-keegan-bradleys-best-ever-rounds-the-players-championship-tpc-sawgrass.html

MARATHON MEN: The first round, which began at 7:45 a.m. Thursday following a one-hour delay, was completed at 2:01 p.m. on Saturday. In other words, it finished 54 hours and 16 minutes after it began. While each group had varying stories to tell the marquee three-ball of Rory McIlroy (73-73), Justin Thomas (72-69) and Collin Morikawa (73-75) had some intriguing insights into how they spent their disjointed three days. “A lot of Frozen, a lot of Peppa Pig, a lot of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” McIlroy said when speaking of his down time with young daughter Poppy. Defending champion Thomas couldn’t resist taking a sneaky potshot at his friend Tiger Woods. “To be perfectly honest, I blame Tiger because I played in the afternoon so I could go to his Hall of Fame ceremony,” Thomas joked. “If I would have just maybe stuck to my guns and played early, I would have been better.” Read all about the trios three days here: https://www.pgatour.com/news/2022/03/12/one-groups-arduous-trek-at-the-players-championship.html

NOTABLES

JON RAHM (3 under, T15): The world no.1 played just one shot on Saturday; a tee shot at the first hole. It sailed 268 yards into the right rough which is where he will continue his second round Sunday.

COLLIN MORIKAWA (4 over, T104): Morikawa’s chase for top spot in the world appears dashed after he managed just one birdie in his second round 75.

VIKTOR HOVLAND (1 under, T41): Like Rahm, Hovland hit just one shot on Saturday, a tee shot into the right rough on the opening hole. He will join the Spaniard there as they get round two going early Sunday.

RORY McILROY (2 over, T84): A tee ball into water on the par-4 7th hole late in his second round set up a costly double bogey for the former PLAYERS champ. McIlroy now needs help to make the cut.

SCOTTTIE SCHEFFLER (2 over, T84): A quest for a third win in four starts appears unlikely after last week’s winner battled to a 76 in his second round. Scheffler dropped seven shots in a seven-hole stretch of his second round including a run of double bogey, bogey, double bogey, bogey on 15-18.

PATRICK CANTLAY (Even, T55): Cantlay’s only shot on Saturday was a tee shot on the first that spurred left into the trees. He will return there Sunday to continue his second round.

DUSTIN JOHNSON (2 under, T23): A birdie birdie finish in his second round helped bring Johnson back into the periphery of contention.

JUSTIN THOMAS (3 under, T15): An incredible 69 from the defending champion in the tough winds have him poised for a weekend run.

BUBBA WATSON (3-under, T15): Big Bubba put up the best round in the wild winds, somehow managing to be bogey-free on the way to a 4-under 68.

CAMERON SMITH (4-under, T6): The Australian, who lives in Ponte Vedra Beach, played just one hole on Saturday, and promptly made birdie from 28-feet.

WORTH WATCHING

BY THE NUMBERS

75.32 – The current scoring average for the incomplete second round that began in crazy winds. For the record the first round finished at an average 71.9. Those players from the early wave averaged 71.24 while the late starters came in at 72.58.

14 – Number of “others” during the second round so far. That means triple bogeys or worse. There were five separate ‘snowman’ eights.

29 – Number of water balls at 17 on Saturday.

37 – Total number of balls in the water on 18 so far in the tournament, the hardest hole on the course at a 4.698 average.

82 – Number of feet (plus another six inches) traversed by Jason Day’s par putt on 14. The second longest PLAYERS putt ever made (since ShotLink began in 2003) and second longest of this season behind Graeme McDowell’s 88-footer at the WM Phoenix Open.