Wyndham Clark sprints ahead at The Players Championship

Wyndham Clark posted his second straight 7-under round of 65 Friday to set a four-shot lead through 36 holes of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Clark, the reigning U.S. Open champ, is at 14 under thanks to a run of birdies midway through his second round. He enters the weekend with a sizeable cushion over Xander Schauffele and Canadian Nick Taylor, tied for second at 10 under.

Clark began his round at TPC Sawgrass on the back nine and had a birdie and bogey through seven holes. He gained some momentum by holing an 18-foot birdie putt on the island green at the famed par-3 17th.

He made the turn and birdied Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, the latter another 18-footer. His approach at No. 1 sat down just 1 1/2 feet from the cup for a tap-in. A 9-foot birdie roll at the par-5 ninth allowed Clark to polish off a 6-under 30 for his second nine.

Schauffele carded a double bogey and an eagle during his second-round 69, while Taylor's seven birdies outweighed three bogeys for a 68.

Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick (69) is tied for fourth at 9 under with Maverick McNealy (68). World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was seen receiving treatment for a sore neck during his second round, shot 69 and is tied for sixth at 8 under with Tom Hoge (69), Germany's Matti Schmid (68) and Canada's Corey Conners (68).

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, one of three first-round co-leaders with Clark and Schauffele, was eight shots worse on Friday, picking up four bogeys and a double on his way to a 73. He is tied for 15th at 6 under.

The projected cut line was 1 under as players finished their rounds late Friday. Justin Thomas (1 over) and Jordan Spieth (2 over) are among the big names on track to miss the cut.

—Field Level Media