Ponte Vedra (USA), March 14 (NationPress) After a promising start, Sahith Theegala faced difficulties in his second round at the Players Championship held at TPC Sawgrass, Florida, on Friday. He recorded a score of 2-over 74, which caused him to fall to T-23 on the leaderboard despite his strong initial performance.

In contrast, Akshay Bhatia experienced a positive ascent with a solid 1-under 71, landing him in T-28th.

Among the Indian-origin competitors, Sudarshan Yellamaraju successfully progressed by finishing with rounds of 73 and 72, placing him in tied 52nd. However, Aaron Rai, an Indo-British golfer, could not advance after scores of 74 in both rounds, leaving him below the cut line.

Ludvig Åberg from Sweden showcased an impressive performance, shooting a remarkable 9-under 63 to seize the lead by two strokes. Starting on the front nine, Åberg began with three birdies and an eagle in his first four holes. He maintained his momentum by adding another eagle on the ninth hole, finishing the front nine at an extraordinary 6-under par.

The 26-year-old continued his strong play on the back nine, securing birdies on the 11th, 16th, and 18th holes, with a lone bogey on the 15th hole. This outstanding round brought his total to 12-under par, giving him a two-shot lead as he heads into the weekend.

The top-ranked players, Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, made the cut but are positioned lower on the leaderboard. Scheffler followed up his opening round of 72 with a 73, while McIlroy improved to a second-round 71 after starting with a 74. Both are currently tied for 51st place with a total score of 1-over par.

Theegala began his second round on the back nine, starting positively with a birdie on the 11th hole. However, he quickly lost that shot with a bogey on the 12th. His struggles persisted as he dropped another shot on the first hole after making the turn, followed by a double bogey on the sixth. A closing birdie on the ninth helped him limit the damage, ending the day tied for 23rd with a total of 3-under par.

Bhatia commenced his round on the front nine and started positively with a birdie on the second and another on the fourth. Nevertheless, bogeys on the fifth and eighth holes brought him to even par at the turn. He rebounded on the back nine with birdies on the 11th and 15th holes, finishing with a 1-under 71, placing him tied for 28th at 2-under par.

Yellamaraju moved up one spot after an even-par round, landing him tied for 51st with a total of 1-over par after 36 holes. With the cut set at 2-over par, he advanced to the weekend and aims to enhance his standing over the final two rounds.

Xander Schauffele also made progress on the leaderboard, currently in second place heading into the weekend. Starting on the back nine, he opened with a birdie on the 11th but incurred a bogey on the 13th. Schauffele rebounded with three consecutive birdies on the 14th, 15th, and 16th holes, finishing at 10-under par, just two shots behind the leader.

Cameron Young holds the third position at 9-under par following a robust second-round score of 5-under 67. Corey Connors and Justin Thomas are tied for fourth at 8-under par, with Connors also shooting a 5-under 67 and Thomas posting a 4-under 68 for the second consecutive day.