Westwood Holds One-Stroke Lead at The Players Championship
Saturday, March 13, 2021

    Lee Westwood, who turns 48 next month, continues to upstage the young guns at the halfway point of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra, taking a one-stroke lead into today's third round.

    The ageless Brit added a 6-under 66 to his first round 69 and is at 9-under-par 135, one better than Matthew Fitzpatrick, who has put up a pair of 68's over the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course while chasing the major share of the $15 million purse. 

    Tied for third at 7 under are Chris Kirk, who avoided the cut with a solid 7-under 65 Friday after opening with even-par 72, and Sergio Garcia, who went the other way with 65-72. The cut came at even-par 144, and there are 20 players at that number. Garcia made an early triple bogey that briefly knocked him down from 8 under to 5 under, but he rebounded with a couple of birdies that kept him in the top three.

    There's six-way tie at 6 under that includes Bryson DeChambeau and Sungjae Im, but a bunch of  the current stars who have been playing well lately, didn't make it to the weekend. Included are  Tony Finau, Steve Stricker, Stewart Cink, Webb Simpson, Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay. 

    Seminole Daniel Berger added a 68 to his Thursday 74 and is tied for 22nd at 2 under, and Gator Billy Horschel made it right on the line with 71-73-144.  But Gator Brian Gay bowed out with 80-74.

    The odds against it were close to impossible, but Scott Piercy and Cameron Percy both shot 73-70-143 and will be paired together today with a 10:50 starting time.  

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