Ludvig Aberg leads Xander Schauffele after second round of Players Championship

[p]The 26-year-old Swede made two eagles and six birdies against a lone bogey to stand on 12-under 132 after 36 holes at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.[/p][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/aberg-ludvig/67ZVNhdN/"]Aberg[/a] answered his first bogey of the week at the par-four 15th with birdies at the par-five 16th and par-four 18th for the lead.[/p][p][b]"It was good, fought all the way to the end," [/b]Aberg said.[b] "It was nice to birdie 16 and 18. Overall very pleased."[/b][/p][embed guid="5870d2ea-2b5e-4a6b-81de-5840a722acfa" url="https://x.com/PGATOUR/status/2032590316574838882?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/schauffele-xander/OnIoiVkm/"]Xander Schauffele[/a], the 2024 PGA Championship and British Open winner, was second on 134 after a 65 on Friday with fellow American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/young-cameron/WAjf7EFq/"]Cameron Young[/a] third on 135, plus Canada's [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/conners-corey/SABiQcB3/"]Corey Conners[/a] and American [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/thomas-justin/jV7EtuiD/"]Justin Thomas[/a] fourth on 136.[/p][p][b]"For the most part I felt like I was in control and felt like I was attacking the golf course versus playing defensive," [/b]said Schauffele, who found every fairway.[b] "It's always easy to be aggressive from the fairway here."[/b][/p][p]Aberg, the 2024 Masters runner-up, seeks his third PGA Tour title after the 2023 RSM Classic and last year's Genesis Invitational.[/p][p]Aberg, third last week at Bay Hill, matched his lowest career 36-hole score to par, helped by two eagles on the front nine.[/p][p]He birdied the first hole from just inside four feet, eagled the par-five second from just inside 15 feet, sank a 10-foot birdie putt at the par-three third and curled in a 23-foot chip to birdie the fourth.[/p][p][b]"I got off to a really nice start, made some nice putts and even chipped in on four," [/b]Aberg said. [b]"It was a good day. It was nice to see those things show up.[/b][/p][p][b]"Even though I felt like middle-round-ish, I struggled a little bit off the tee, I thought I came back into it and hit some really nice tee balls coming down the last few holes."[/b][/p][embed guid="b49b9e78-2f3b-4cc6-8c20-70b7c2ddc179" url="https://x.com/THEPLAYERS/status/2032631250695889269?s=20" social-type="twitter" /][p]Aberg, standing in a bunker, chipped in from 34 feet for eagle at the par-five ninth for only the third front-nine 29.[/p][p][b]"I knew it was an aggressive play getting a 3-wood up there,"[/b] he said. [b]"I felt like I would have a chip from somewhere up there. It's always a bonus when those go in."[/b][/p][p]Aberg birdied the par-five 11th from just outside four feet but stumbled at 15, missing the green on his approach and sinking a testy bogey putt from just inside eight feet.[/p][p]He responded by dropping his approach inches from the hole at the par-five 16th for a tap-in birdie and finished with a birdie putt from just inside eight feet.[/p][p]Top-ranked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/scheffler-scottie/bXfIuBYu/"]Scottie Scheffler[/a] fired a 73 to stand on 145, one stroke inside the cut line.[/p][p]World number two [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mcilroy-rory/djwanksN/"]Rory McIlroy[/a], the defending champion, fired a 71 to also stand on 145 and was not hampered by a back injury that forced him out last week at Bay Hill.[/p][p][b]"I didn't really feel anything, I woke up this morning felt fine," [/b]McIlroy said. [b]"It feels pretty much there. Not all the way there, but I feel like it's just progressively getting better each and every day."[/b][/p]