2025 Players Championship leaderboard: Akshay Bhatia, Min Woo Lee on top as Collin Morikawa surges in Round 2

Rory McIlroy is firmly in contention sitting two shots back of the leaders entering Moving Day

On a day where birdies were flying high, a pair of the PGA Tour's youngest stars shined the brightest. Carding dueling 66s in the second round to reach 11 under, Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia will share the 36-hole lead entering the weekend of the 2025 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. 

The opportunity will mark the biggest of Bhatia's young career, while Lee looks to make amends for falling short a couple years ago when he first bust onto the scene -- Lee was featured in the final round of the 2023 Players Championship alongside eventual winner Scottie Scheffler.

"[It was a] big learning curve," Lee said. "Especially the 4th hole, that's probably one shot that I regret in my career. It was a wedge that I got steep on, and it's been the narrative for a long time. My approach play, you know, I just see the ball flight coming in low and I get a little bit too steep. It's nice to actually just hit it up in the air and trust it. 

"That's a big part of why I'm getting a little bit better with my approach play. Yeah, just I think a bit more level-headed and a lot of learning between then and now. Obviously Scottie won that tournament, and he played really good and just learned to be in that final group."

Scheffler may not be on the first page of the leaderboard at the halfway point, but his presence remains as he sits only six back at 5 under. Between the world No. 1 and the Nos. 1 on the leaderboard are a number of landmines which Bhatia and Lee will need to skirt.

Rory McIlroy held a share of the lead at various points in his second round but ultimately settled for a 68 to stand at 9 under. He sits two back alongside two-time major champion Collin Morikawa, who looks to bounce back from the disappointment of last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational. Morikawa scored nine birdies Friday to shoot 7 under, the second-best round of the day behind only Justin Thomas, who tied the TPC Sawgrass course record with a 62.

While Lee, Bhatia, McIlroy and the rest of the lot were able to take advantage of the cool and calm conditions the first two days, Mother Nature will have its say on Saturday. With the forecast calling for wind gusts up to 30 mph, Moving Day may turn into a survival of the fittest.

"I'm looking forward to it," McIlroy said. "I think it's going to be really important to try to flight your ball and keep it under the tree line. I think, once it gets above the tree line here, it can start to really get hit by it. And it does swirl a little bit, but I think when the wind is so strong, it will be a little more consistent. But yeah, this course is challenging enough. But with a wind like that, yeah, I'm excited for that challenge."

Let's a take a look at how the second round shook out and what to expect over the weekend at TPC Sawgrass.

2025 Players Championship leaderboard, Round 2

T1. Akshay Bhatia, Min Woo Lee (-11): What a fun final pair on tap with two of the brightest young stars sharing a weekend tee time at the biggest PGA Tour event. Both of these guys are absolutely feeling it on the greens so far -- Lee ranks second and Bhatia ranks third in strokes gained putting -- and that prowess will be tested on Saturday as the conditions will not only make full swings more difficult but also those on the greens.

3. J.J. Spaun (-10): He quietly has two podium finishes already this season, and he is in position to improve on those this weekend. The tee-to-green leader has been sensational gaining eight strokes on the field in that category and carding only two bogeys along the way. Spaun's putter will be tested, but if he continues to strike the ball like this, it may not matter.

T4. Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Alex Smalley (-9): The biggest names on the first page of the leaderboard sit at 9 under. McIlroy got as deep as 11 under before he missed five of his last seven greens in regulation and dropped two strokes coming home. He hit it much better off the tee (11 of 14 fairways) but was a hair loose with his irons down the stretch. Meanwhile, Morikawa leaned heavily on his short game highlighted by chip-in birdies on Nos. 4 and 5 en route to a 65.

"I just stayed in it," Morikawa said. "I can't say I drove it great or amazing and hit the ball amazing, but I really just took advantage of when I did hit good shots. I putted really nicely. Also, just I didn't try fighting it too much. I knew it wasn't quite exactly how I was hitting it, and you just make due."

T7. Lucas Glover, Will Zalatoris (-8)
T9. Tommy Fleetwood, Jake Knapp (-7)
T11. Sepp Straka, Billy Horschel, Harris English, Jacob Bridgeman, Emiliano Grillo (-6)

T16. Scottie Scheffler, Rickie Fowler, Patrick Cantlay and 10 others (-5): It's been both a relatively standard and uncharacteristic week from the world No. 1. Scheffler has been strong from tee to green and weak on the greens while also making a few course management mistakes typically unbecoming of him. Despite the shortcomings, he is still in this tournament only a half dozen back. And the longer he lurks, the longer his presence grows on this leaderboard.

"At times last year those were the putts that would go in, and the last few weeks seems like they haven't been," Scheffler said. "But still doing a lot of good things, hitting a lot of good putts and looking forward to trying to climb the leaderboard over the weekend."

T29. Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala, Cameron Young and seven others (-4): Thomas's first two days at TPC Sawgrass are emblematic of his last two years. The 2021 champion tied the course record with a second-round 62 one day after barely breaking 80 with an opening 78. He will need more of that Friday firepower over the weekend if he is to somehow continue his march up the leaderboard.

T39. Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim and eight others (-3)
T49. Denny McCarthy, Keegan Bradley and 13 others (-2)

T64. Xander Schauffele and nine others (-1): For the second straight week, Schauffele sneaks through to the weekend on the number to extend his made-cut streak to 59. He made birdie on his final hole to post 71 and get to red figures for the tournament, but that is where the positives end for the world No. 3. 

"Not hitting it close enough, to duffing chips, to missing every fairway, to hitting fairways to missing greens," Schauffele said. "It's pretty gross, to be completely honest. So if I can eke out this cut, that would be nice. But the game feels pretty bad."

[Mar 14, 2025 at 6:30 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Thomas ties course record

After a birdie on No. 17, Thomas finds the water with his second shot into the par-4 finisher. He hits a beauty of a pitch into the green to secure his bogey and a piece of history with a 10-under 62. He improvement of 16 strokes and 11 birdies in his second round are both Players records.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 6:02 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Thomas birdies the island green

This is nuts. Thomas rolls in an 18-foot birdie putt on No. 17 to reach 11 under and now has the course record in sight. Thomas will need to make a par or better to shoot the course record at TPC Sawgrass that is held by Tom Hoge.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 5:52 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Thomas gets to double digits

After a nice save on No. 15, Justin Thomas finds the surface on No. 16 in two. He two putts from 75 feet and grabs his 10th birdie of the afternoon to sneak inside the top 30 at 4 under. He will now need to navigate the par-3 17th where he dumped his tee shot in the water yesterday.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 5:11 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Course record put on notice

That is now nine…count 'em…nine birdies in 14 holes for Justin Thomas. He taps in after a stellar approach into No. 14 to get to 3 under for the tournament. He will need to grab one more birdie across his final four holes to tie the course record of 62 held by Tom Hoge.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 4:55 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Anotha one!

This is fun to watch. Thomas tacks on his third birdie in a row and his eighth of the afternoon thanks to a 20-foot conversion on No. 13. He is now inside the cutline with room to spare and has his sights on possible contention. He's doing everything right at the moment a day after he shot 78 and ranked last in strokes gained tee to green. Pretty remarkable. 

[Mar 14, 2025 at 4:41 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Thomas keeps on rolling

That is now birdie No. 7 for Justin Thomas. The latest comes on the short par-4 12th as he throws a gap wedge underneath the hole and rolls in a 12 footer. He is now on the number at 1 under and with opportunities to add some breathing room between him and the cutline.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 4:17 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Wyndham Clark WDs

Last year's runner-up finisher is officially out of the tournament. Wyndham Clark was 4 over with nine holes remaining in his second round and has called it quits. An official reason for his withdrawal has not been announced.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 3:46 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Thomas turns in 31

This is a completely different looking Justin Thomas. He is about to tap in on No. 9 to get to 1 over for the tournament and 5 under on his opening nine. Making this more impressive is that the back nine is where scores are being had. The 2021 champion will have a great chance to keep the momentum rolling and possibly make the 1-under cut after a first-round 78.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 3:18 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Spieth on the cutline

An early birdie by Spieth has since been offset and more than by a couple of bogeys. The latest came on No. 5 where Spieth hit two off the tee (found his first), swung left handed for his second and two putted from 40 feet. He's gotta start finding fairways.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 2:36 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Morikawa talks about skipping media last week

[Mar 14, 2025 at 2:04 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Bhatia buries closing birdie

The lengthy left hander adds a circle on his last to pull even with Min Woo Lee. Bhatia overcome a wayward drive on No. 7 and bounced back to likely share the lead heading into the weekend.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 1:28 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Rory signs for 68

That's a pretty disappointing last couple hours from McIlroy. He struggles across his final seven holes — plays them then 2 over including a bogey on his last. McIlroy got it as deep as 11 under for the tournament, but he then struggled with his scoring clubs and missed 5 of his last 7 greens.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 12:53 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Bhatia bounces into the lead

Min Woo Lee makes bogey on his last to shoot 66 and post 11 under in the clubhouse. He has been caught by another young stud in Akshay Bhatia who has rattled off three birdies in his last four holes to get to 11 under. Bhatia is wielding the broomstick effectively today.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 12:23 pm ET · Patrick McDonald]

Marquee group on the clock

Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy are officially being timed. They were told on the tee box of the fifth hole that they are on the clock, so let's see how that affects them as they close out their second rounds.

[Mar 14, 2025 at 11:53 am ET · Patrick McDonald]

Schauffele's cut streak in trouble

The world No. 3 is treading water and directly on the cutline with six holes to play. He has gotten as deep as 2 under a number of times, but he is currently at 1 under with no room to spare. His last missed cut was the 2022 Masters.