No Laying Up - Golf Podcast 1130: Friday at the 2026 Players
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Mar 14, 2026 Ludvig Åberg's electric 63 and the crowd frenzy around his run. Xander Schauffele's steady, pace-setting 36-hole performance. Justin Thomas' patience and memorable chip-in on 11. Sawgrass' hole-by-hole bailout options and how course firmness favors accuracy. Cam Young's quiet power surge and contenders pushing for breakthrough wins.
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Ludvig Declares Himself With A 63
- Ludvig Åberg announced himself with a nearly flawless 9-under 63 on Friday afternoon at TPC Sawgrass.
- He chipped in twice, was six under on par 5s and displayed the sort of effortless, video-game ball striking those hosts compared to a golden tee.
Sawgrass Rewarding Accuracy Over Putting
- The Players is favoring accuracy and approach over putting so far, making fairways and iron play decisive.
- Data showed putting explains only 26% of variance and fairway/approach influence jumped well above tour average, highlighting tee-to-green importance.
Xander Reestablishes Himself With Precision
- Xander Schauffele set the early pace with a solid, controlled morning 36 and perfect fairway performance.
- He hit 14/14 fairways and was second in total strokes gained, showing the classic Xander steady, offensive blueprint.