Min Woo Lee threatening to finish what he start two years ago at the Players Championship

Two years later, a more seasoned Lee is threatening to finish what he started, grabbing a share of the lead with Akshay Bhatia after they each posted rounds of 67-66 to reach 11-under through 36 holes of the Players Championship.

“Big learning curve,” Lee said of his rookie experience in 2023 to now. “Yeah, just I think a bit more level-headed and a lot of learning between then and now. Obviously, Scottie won that tournament and he played really good and (I) just learned to be in that final group.” 

Lee might have held the lead all alone if not for a sloppy finishing bogey on the par-5 ninth that was the only untidy element on a scorecard that included seven birdies – six of them in a nine-hole stretch from the 15th on his front through the fifth. That run pushed him to 12-under and ahead of Rory McIlroy, who was making some early morning noise of his own before settling back to 9-under and a tie for fourth after the morning wave with Collin Morikawa.

“Felt really good over the ball,” Lee said. “Just really good numbers and rolled some putts in. Today was solid again and hopefully two more of them.” 

Bhatia, who missed the cut in his first Players start last year, made eight birdies and two bogeys on Friday to join Lee atop the board at 11-under. Bhatia is only 23 and Lee is 26 – each of then younger than even 28-year-old Scheffler and trying to build names for themselves.

“I feel like we’re kind of the next generation of the Rorys and Scotties and obviously Tiger's way up there, but I think it’s really cool,” Bhatia said of the young tour stars including his playing partners the first two rounds of Nick Dunlap (21) and Tom Kim (22).

J.J. Spaun, runner-up two weeks ago at PGA National, finished the morning alone in third at 10-under.

“So far relatively stress-free, and that’s very unlikely for a Pete Dye track, let alone Sawgrass,” Spaun said of his 66-68 start. “So hopefully I can keep it up.” 

Morikawa made one of the biggest moves up the board with a 7-under 65 that included nine birdies and two bogeys, positioning him in a tie for fourth at 9-under with McIlroy heading into the weekend.

“I really just took advantage of when I did hit good shots, I putted really nicely,” he said. “Also just I didn’t try fighting it too much. I knew it wasn’t quite exactly how I was hitting it, and you just make due. It was obviously nice to make a couple chip-ins or a little 5-wood off the green and a chip-in on 4 and 5 to just keep the momentum going.” 

Morikawa wanted to address again the fallout from blowing off the media after his runner-up finish a week ago in the Arnold Palmer Invitational, including criticism from former tour pros on television regarding his “I don’t owe anybody anything” comment from earlier in the week.

He took it upon himself to double down without being asked.

“I just want to add one more thing. I might bite my tongue after saying this, but to the Brandel Chamblees, to the Paul McGinleys, to the Rocco Mediates of the world, I don’t regret anything I said,” Morikawa said. “You know, it might have been a little bit harsh that I don’t owe anyone, but I don’t owe anyone.

“I respect the fans. I’m very thankful for them. I’m grateful. It makes me emotional, but it hurts to hear people say this, and especially you guys, because I finished the round and I went to go sign for 10 minutes, 15 minutes for all the people after. Not a single person from media went to go follow me because, I don’t know. But that’s me.

“So for people to be calling me out… look, I get what you guys are saying. But I was there. I was signing for every single person right after the round, whether they wanted it or not. I finished second. They could care less. But yeah, I’m going to leave it at that, all right? So, thank you guys."