Tour Confidential: Here’s who will make a move at Players Championship 

Day 2 at the 2025 Players Championship is complete with Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia holding a one-shot lead over J.J. Spaun, and a two-stroke advantage over Alex Smalley and major winners Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. Whom do we see making a move on Saturday’s moving day? We asked our staffers.

Whom do you see making a move on Saturday’s moving day at the Players Championship?

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): My pre-tournament pick, Justin Thomas, looked pretty good on Friday, didn’t he? (We won’t talk about Thursday, though.) Let’s see if we can make another solid pick. I like Sahith Theegala. Keeping it in the yard can sometimes be an issue here, but no one shapes the ball better. 

Dylan Dethier, senior writer (@dylan_dethier): OK, these guys may not win the golf tournament, but if you’re looking for some early coverage fireworks, check out Daniel Berger and Xander Schauffele. They just barely snuck inside the cut line at one-under par, which means they’re 10 shots back. But they could catch some slightly better weather than their afternoon counterparts. And they’re very good at golf.

Josh Schrock, associate news editor (@Schrock_And_Awe): Am I allowed to say Scottie Scheffer? The two-time defending champion has been frustrated by an ice-cold putter at TPC Sawgrass, but he is gaining almost three shots tee-to-green and is in good position at five-under to rise up the board as the gusty winds start whipping on Saturday. If we’re looking further down the board, I feel like Russell Henley, Daniel Berger and Jordan Spieth could take advantage of calmer conditions and post something low early.

Jessica Marksbury, senior editor (@Jess_Marksbury): Given the windy forecast for Saturday, it looks like survival might be the ticket in Round 3. If guys who are lower on the leaderboard can make up a few shots in the early wave of tee times, more power to them! But for the front-runners, patience and experience will pay dividends. After two rounds of ultra-low scoring, a round of one- or two-under from players like Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa could end up being a stellar day, and launch them to the top of the heap heading into the final round.

Josh Sens (@joshsens): Sepp Straka has been so dialed in lately. A great iron player who is just far enough behind to sneak up on the leaders in tough conditions.