Notebook: Gary Woodland Keeps It Rolling, Florida Fine for Francesco Molinari

The 2019 U.S. Open champ has had a long couple years but appears to have turned the corner.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Gary Woodland has clearly struggled since hoisting the U.S. Open trophy at Pebble Beach in 2019.

An injury, bad swing mechanics and a loss of confidence has produced nothing to write home about over the last three years.

But with the torn labrum in his left hip back to normal and getting his swing back in the groove, Woodland is feeling like his game is on the mend.

Gary Woodland's good play in recent months has carried over so far to the Players Championship :: David Yeazell/USA TODAY Sports

His 2-under-par 70 in Friday’s second round it just an extension of how well he’s been playing over the last three or so months.

Since the CJ Cup in November, Woodland has recorded two 65s, two 66s and two 67s.

At the Genesis Invitational in mid-February at Riviera Country Club, Woodland finished T9 on a course renowned for requiring great ballstriking.

Even when he missed the cut last week, Woodland said he hit the ball as good as he has in a while, just found a cold putter in the bag for two days.

“I'm starting to see it on the golf course, which is the next step,” Woodland said. “You do it on the range, you do it at home and then you come out here and do it and I've started to see some nice rounds.”

For Woodland, the key to his game is seeing putts drop. A consistent ballstriker, it was always the flatstick that has held him back, but once he saw a 28-footer from the fringe drop on the fourth hole, Woodland was off to the races, recording four birdies on the back nine opposite two bogeys on the difficult 14th and 18th holes.

“If I keep controlling the golf ball like I’m controlling it I feel like the harder the conditions the better for me,” said Woodland, who sits six shots back of the leaders. “I saw one or two go in today, which was nice. So, I'm excited. I feel great standing over the golf ball. This place is brutal, hard. Hopefully it continues to play hard.”

Florida Is Treating Francesco Molinari Well

Italy’s Francesco Molinari has a Jekyll and Hyde-type relationship with TPC Sawgrass.

In 11 appearances he has finished in the top 10 four times, his best being T6s in 2014 and 2017, but also five missed cuts including three in a row from 2011- 13.

After a 73-71 start, Molinari is at even and eight shots off the lead, but guaranteed to make the weekend.

“You know what you expect when you're coming here, you don't expect it to be easy or anything like that so it's a proper Players Championship,” Molinari said.

After last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where the fairways looking like lanes in a bowling alley and rough higher and thicker than in most majors, Molinari finished T14, he must feel right at home this week.

A the chip on the 16th hole from 35 feet that stopped inside 2 feet was the highlight of a windy and difficult round.

"I'm starting to figure out off the tee how to hit it better,” Molinari said. “Today with the wind I played really well for probably 10 holes and then started struggling at the end of the day. But just managed to fight to stay on the on the cutline ... nothing easy about this place.”

Tidbits

>PGA Tour rookie Ben Griffin (67-71—138), making his tournament debut, is the leader in the clubhouse with the second round set to resume Saturday morning.

> Three players in the top 15 of the Official World Golf Ranking are T8 or better: Collin Morikawa (T3/No. 10), Scottie Scheffler (T6/No. 2) and Viktor Hovland (T8/No. 11/T8)

> First-round leader Chad Ramey played his final three holes prior to the suspension in 5 over, including a quadruple bogey at the par-3 17th.

> World No. 1 Jon Rahm withdrew before the start of his round due to illness, snapping the Tour’s longest active made-cuts streak at 25.

> Three-time Tour winner Jerry Kelly (T68/+2), 56, would become the oldest player to make the cut in Players Championship history (oldest: Arnold Palmer at 55 years, 6 months, 19 days in 1985) if the cut moves to 2 over (currently 67 players at 1 over); Kelly recorded scores of 74-72—146.