Veteran Toms leads , Clark pulls out

David Toms seized a one-shot lead at the halfway point of The Players Championship David Toms seized a one-shot lead at the halfway point of The Players Championship, but defending champ Tim Clark was forced to pull out with an elbow injury.
Toms, 44, on Friday fired a four-under 68 to take a one shot lead over Nick Watney (71) with four others just a stroke back in a tie for third.
Toms didn\'t make his first bogey until his 26th hole on the TPC Sawgrass course to reach a 10-under 134 total over the first two rounds.
\"I haven\'t done anything great, haven\'t made a lot of long putts or chip in or anything like that,\" said Toms, who was at 10-under 134. \"I\'ve just played very, very solid.\"
US Open champion Graeme McDowell, of Northern Ireland, shot a two-under 69 and was tied at eight-under 136 with England\'s Luke Donald (67), and a pair of Americans Steve Stricker (67) and Lucas Glover (71).
Donald fired a bogey free five-under 67 and can take over the world number one ranking with a win here. He is the first player in seven years to get to the halfway stage of this event without making a bogey.

Toms, who runs a successful charity foundation that assists underprivileged and abused children, is seeking his 13th career USPGA Tour win.
Toms won the 2001 PGA Championship in Atlanta and played on three Ryder Cup teams. He also tied for fourth at the 2000 US Open.
He has never had much success at this event, missing the cut 10 out of the 18 times. Toms finished in the top 10 here just once before.
\"It seemed early in my career around here I was always trying to play the perfect shot,\" he said. \"I think the last few years, I\'ve just learned to try to play my game, my shot rather than trying to hit the perfect shot on the golf course.\"
He posted just two bogeys on Friday at the par-three 8th and par-four 15th after shooting a bogey-free first round.

South Africa\'s Clark played just 10 holes of the second round before withdrawing on Friday.
Clark, of Durban, shot a 74 Thursday and was two over when he realized his right elbow wasn\'t going to get better.
\"At the moment it\'s starting to get a little worse,\" Clark said. \"I can see it\'s swollen right now, and there\'s no point.
\"It\'s just been getting a little worse as the day went on,\" Clark said. \"I hit a shot out of the rough on nine, and I could feel it getting worse. There\'s just no point in staying. I tried as good as I can for two days.\"
Clark, who was competing in his fourth tournament of the year, has been suffering from tendinitis since his second place finish at the Sony Open earlier this year.
This marked his first start since the Masters and he said he wouldn\'t have attempted to play had he not been the reigning champion.
\"I had to test it out,\" Clark said. \"I?m hoping to be back obviously as soon as possible.\"
Clark will also miss next week\'s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.
Australian Geoff Ogilvy also withdrew, complaining of a sore left shoulder. They followed 14-time major champion Tiger Woods out of the event. Woods only made it through a woeful nine holes on Thursday before withdrawing because of trouble with his left knee and ankle.