JT, Bubba make big moves before Round 2 halted due to darkness

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 12: Justin Thomas of the United States waves after chipping in on the 14th hole during the second round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 12, 2022 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Jared C. Tilton / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The conditions finally allowed golf to be played at TPC Sawgrass Saturday afternoon, but intense wind and cold temperatures served up one of the toughest tests in recent memory at The Players Championship.

Bubba Watson and Justin Thomas were the only players to complete their rounds without a bogey. Both golfers moved to within three strokes of the lead held by Tom Hoge and Tommy Fleetwood before organizers suspended play due to darkness.

The vast majority of the leaders have either yet to begin their second round or only completed a few holes. Action will resume at 8:15 a.m. ET Sunday.

Place Player Round 2 score Total to par
T1 Tommy Fleetwood Even thru 3 -6
T1 Tom Hoge N/A -6
T3 Joaquin Niemann N/A -5
T3 Keith Mitchell N/A -5
T3 Anirban Lahiri N/A -5
T6 Doug Ghim -2 thru 14 -4
T6 Kramer Hickok 1-over thru 4 -4
T6 Brian Harman Even thru 3 -4
T6 Harold Varner III -1 thru 3 -4
T6 Will Zalatoris -1 thru 3 -4
T6 Cameron Smith -1 thru 1 -4
T6 Sam Burns N/A -4
T6 Taylor Pendrith N/A -4
T15 Bubba Watson 68 -3
T15 Justin Thomas 69 -3

Heavy rains caused multiple stoppages over the event's first two days. Round 1's completion didn't happen until early Saturday afternoon, just over 54 hours after it started.

It didn't take long for the viewing public to see just how difficult things would be Saturday with sustained wind of over 25 mph and gusts topping 35 mph. The first group to hit tee shots on the iconic par-3 17th featured superstars Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler, and Xander Schauffele. All three men found water off the tee.

The half of the field that played their opening round Thursday combined to shoot 79-under par. Those who played Saturday combined for a whopping 282-over. An incredible 31 of the top-40 players on the leaderboard came from the wave that played Thursday and either haven't teed off for their second round or have finished less than five holes.

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