The Players Championship has reached its halfway point with Kyle Stanley and Louis Oosthuizen tied for the lead at 9 under.
Stanley, 29, a PGA Tour winner that came out firing right out of college, has struggled to find consistent form in recent seasons. But he was sharp Friday, shooting a 6-under 66 with eight birdies and two bogeys.
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The former Clemson star won the Phoenix Open in 2012, but he has not since finished in the top 3 of a Tour event.
"You have to pick and choose your spots for sure. There are a few birdie holes out here, but for the most part we have just been focused on getting birdie opportunities," Stanley said after his round on Golf Channel. "I'm happy with where my game is at right now."
Oosthuizen, who has already won a British Open, and lost in a playoff in a separate British Open and a Masters, vaulted up the leaderboard with a bogey-free 6-under 66. He has just one bogey through the first 36 holes.
Heading into the week, Oosthuizen's best finish here was a tie for 19th in 2013. He looks poised to blow by that mark.
J.B. Holmes bogeyed his last two holes Friday to fall back to 7 under. Using his length to take advantage of TPC Sawgrass' firm conditions, Holmes momentarily held the lead at 9 under before bogeying holes 8 and 9 to finish his second round.
Holmes has not finished in the top 10 since a T-4 last fall at the BMW Championship.
While some may be unfamiliar with Stanley, Vijay Singh became the most surprising name on the leaderboard when he shot a 4-under 68 in Round 2. Singh, 54, ended the day in solo fourth at 6 under, but he came into the event having missed nine of his last 10 cuts.
Patrick Cantlay led a group tied for fifth at 5 under. The former top-ranked amateur missed almost three years with injuries, but he has two top-5 finishes already this season. Rafa Cabrera Bello, Alex Noren, David Hearn and Ian Poulter, who recently secured his Tour card, also finished at 5 under.
Jon Rahm struggled with his putter early Friday morning, but he is still in contention at 4 under. Despite being a rookie, Rahm has already proven he's one of the most dangerous and consistent players on Tour.
Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Phil Mickelson and Jason Day all finished their second rounds at 2 under. Though seven shots back, they could climb up the leaderboard in a hurry, as positions often change at this course in a hurry.
Another group of notables finished at even. Rory McIlroy, who is dealing with lingering back discomfort, Dustin Johnson, Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas, Masters winner Sergio Garcia and former Players winners Matt Kuchar and Martin Kaymer are all nine shots back heading into the weekend.
Jordan Spieth missed his third straight cut at the Players by shooting a 3-over 75 to finish 4 over for the tournament. Spieth had a chance to rally late, but he made a disappointing par on the par-5 16th, He then hit it in the water on 17 leading to a double-bogey.
