Players Championship 2022 Leaderboard: Live Look at Sunday Scores, Predictions

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Slowly but surely, the 2022 Players Championship is unfolding.

While rain-delayed tournaments are not entirely uncommon on the PGA Tour, this weekend’s event at TPC Sawgrass has been a drawn-out affair. Multiple weather delays set up a Sunday morning start that had several golfers beginning only their second rounds.

The weather has had an impact on play as well, with waterlogged greens and high winds leading to high scores Friday and Saturday.

“This is as tough as golf as you’re ever going to play,” Keegan Bradley said, per Ewan Murray of The Guardian.

Tommy Fleetwood and Tom Hoge came into Sunday tied atop the leaderboard at six under. By 10 a.m. ET, however, five golfers shared the lead at five under, and Fleetwood was not among them. At the time of writing, Hoge had reclaimed the lead.

The tournament may not wrap Round 3 on Sunday, but the hope is still for a Monday finish. Here’s what you need to know for the remainder of Sunday’s action.

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Gary McCullough/Associated Press

Where: TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida

Remaining TV Schedule

Sunday, March 13: 1-6 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, extended coverage on Golf Channel

Monday, March 14: 1-6 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock

                 

Live Leaderboard and Score Updates


PGATour.com

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Gerald Herbert/Associated Press

The weather has been the biggest storyline of the tournament, with delays on each of the first three days and only about four hours of golf being played Friday. However, it’s not the only bit of drama we have seen at the Players Championship.

Reigning Masters winner Hideki Matsuyama withdrew from the tournament Thursday morning because of a back issue, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic. It then took more than 54 hours for the first round to reach its conclusion.

While Thursday brought some low scores, it’s been tough going for most golfers since. Fleetwood shot a 66 in the opening round to take an early lead, but through the first half of Round 2, he’s two over and tied for eighth place.

Brooks Koepka shot an uncharacteristic 81 in Round 2, tied for the worst round of his career.

“I felt like I got some bad breaks along with not playing well. Kind of one of those things for me. It’s just tough, man,” Koepka said, per Tom D’Angelo of the Palm Beach Post.

It wasn’t all bad golf in Round 2, though. Defending champion Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson both played bogey-free rounds, and Bradley should have shot a 69. However, he was awarded a two-stroke penalty when the wind moved his ball from his marker and he played the original shot.

“So put my coin down, the ball moved, a huge gust of wind came up. I looked at the guys in my group and we all said, ‘Yep, the coin was down first. All good,” Bradley said, per Mark Cannizzaro of the New York Post.

Fortunately for him, Bradley is still at one-under and in position to make a run Sunday and Monday. He, Thomas, Watson and the rest of the field that has finished Round 2 will have to wait for the cut before beginning Round 3.

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Lynne Sladky/Associated Press

The first prediction here is that we will see some lower scores Sunday than we saw over the past two days. The course conditions should be better, though the wind will to be a factor.

According to Golf Channel, the wind is expected to “stay steady” at around 20 miles per hour throughout the day.

Despite a cold morning, we have already seen several golfers play well early. Taylor Pendrith, for example, shot two under through three holes to briefly claim the lead.

Don’t expect significantly low scores like we saw in 2021, though. Thomas won that event at 14 under, and how this year’s event has shaken out means golfers will struggle to reach that range over the final two days.

However, fans can expect a battle at the top of the leaderboard as the lead swings from hole to hole. Eleven golfers sat at three under or better at the time of writing, so it’s going to be a tight race throughout the remainder of Round 2.

Expect to see Thomas make another surge in Round 3. He shot a 69 in Round 2 despite the brutal conditions. It’s not an eye-catching score, but given the circumstances, it’s enough to keep him in contention.

“There’s always one person who plays good on the bad side of the draw,” Thomas said, per the Associated Press. “I kept saying, ‘Be that guy.’ I’m very proud of myself today.”

The Players Championship has never had a back-to-back champion. There’s a real chance that Thomas ends the streak this year. At the very least, another clean round will have him within striking distance when play picks back up Monday.