The Players Championship 2016 scores: Jason Day is running away at TPC Sawgrass

Every pro who shows up at The Players Championship is quick to hail it as the strongest field of the season. The best in the world all come out to TPC Sawgrass for what is supposed to be a tough major-lite championship test. They’re all here again this year, but the world No. 1 is putting more and more distance between himself and the rest of that loaded group.

Jason Day will go to sleep Friday night with a three-shot cushion at 14-under and on pace to set a new 36-hole scoring mark at The Players. The previous mark, set by his Aussie predecessor Greg Norman at 14-under, once seemed untouchable but Day is in line to rewrite it all this weekend at TPC Sawgrass. He’s that much of a machine. There are no weaknesses and his natural ability to bomb it past everyone else, and then also delicately chip and putt with the best, is unparalleled. He’ll wake up on Saturday morning with four more holes to finish, including a par-5 that should be a prime opportunity to zip past Norman’s mark.

Day matched the course record on Thursday in what were supposed to be the easiest conditions of the week on the Stadium Course. It was supposed to get dramatically harder each day but he took advantage of his scoring window. Then on Friday, Rory McIlroy went out and posted a 29 in his first 9 holes and needed a simple birdie on his closing par-5 to set a new course record. He made an ugly bogey to post an 8-under at 64, but it was clear those low numbers were out there again for the morning wave.

But what about late? Day saw those early numbers and just went ahead and added to his cushion in what was supposed to be the more challenging afternoon. It had to be deflating for some of those guys who went low with their best stuff earlier in the day. Day is the only player in the field yet to make a bogey, going out in 3-under 33 and then adding back-to-back birdies before the horn blew as darkness fell at TPC Sawgrass. The first was a bomb from 38 feet, demonstrating again that he’s more than just some power player and has become one of the best on Tour with the putter.

On the next hole, he showed off another part of his game that makes you think this lead is impenetrable. From 188 yards out, he dropped a dart on top of the pin, leaving a tap-in birdie from inside three feet to get to 14-under. The horn would sound on his next hole.

That unrelenting bogey-free assault means guys like McIlroy and all the other chasers have to keep posting mid-60s numbers just to stay in reach. Mid-60s numbers, even during this more benign week, are not something you just stack up one after another here. That’s what makes it seem like Day’s lead is so secure even with so much more golf to play. Here’s where things stand with still an hour or so left of play to complete the second round on Saturday morning: