Wyndham Clark sprints ahead at The Players Championship

Wyndham Clark posted his second straight 7-under round of 65 Friday to set a four-shot lead through 36 holes of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Clark, the reigning U.S. Open champ, is at 14 under thanks to a run of birdies midway through his second round. He enters the weekend with a sizeable cushion over Xander Schauffele and Canadian Nick Taylor, tied for second at 10 under.

Clark began his round at TPC Sawgrass on the back nine and had a birdie and bogey through seven holes. He gained some momentum by holing an 18-foot birdie putt on the island green at the famed par-3 17th.

He made the turn and birdied Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6, the latter another 18-footer. His approach at No. 1 sat down just 1 1/2 feet from the cup for a tap-in. A 9-foot birdie roll at the par-5 ninth allowed Clark to polish off a 6-under 30 for his second nine.

Schauffele carded a double bogey and an eagle during his second-round 69, while Taylor's seven birdies outweighed three bogeys for a 68.

Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick (69) is tied for fourth at 9 under with Maverick McNealy (68). World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who was seen receiving treatment for a sore neck during his second round, shot 69 and is tied for sixth at 8 under with Tom Hoge (69), Germany's Matti Schmid (68) and Canada's Corey Conners (68).

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland, one of three first-round co-leaders with Clark and Schauffele, was eight shots worse on Friday, picking up four bogeys and a double on his way to a 73. He is tied for 15th at 6 under.

The projected cut line was 1 under as players finished their rounds late Friday. Justin Thomas (1 over) and Jordan Spieth (2 over) are among the big names on track to miss the cut.