RORY MCILROY CONTINUED to struggle as his slim hopes of a Players Championship defence slipped away after a scrappy level-par round left him in the bottom half of the field.
Two of his three bogeys came after finding water off the ninth and 12th tees, the second cutting short his momentum after successive birdies threatened to kickstart his back nine.
But while the Holywood man, who will defend his Masters title next month, was stuck on one over, his Ryder Cup team-mate dominated, 14 shots ahead.
Ludvig Aberg grinded through a difficult day for a one-under-par 71 and stretched his lead to three strokes.
The 26-year-old Swede, third last week at Bay Hill, made an eagle, birdie and two bogeys to stand on 13-under 203 after 54 holes at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
“Overall I didn’t play my best golf today but felt like I kind of hung in there, which was nice,” Aberg said. “Started the day with a two-shot lead and now we’ve got a three-shot lead, so I guess that’s a good thing.”
American Michael Thorbjornsen shot 67 to grab second on 206 with compatriot Cameron Young third on 207.
“I don’t think I have to change too much,” Thorbjornsen said. “If you play some really steady golf you’ll run into some birdies… slow and steady wins the race and we’re just going to play some solid golf.”
Aberg missed a birdie putt from just inside 60 feet at the par-five 16th and missed eight-foot putts for birdie at the par-three 17th island hole and for par at the 18th.
“Would have loved to have had maybe a couple of those putts on 16 and 17 and obviously the one on 18 as well,” Aberg said.
Even with his stumble at the last, Aberg owned the largest 54-hole lead at the Players since 2018 when Webb Simpson was ahead by seven on his way to victory.
“It will be fun. It’s a challenge for sure,” Aberg said of his lead entering Sunday’s final round.
“I slept on the lead last night and it’s fun. That’s why we play tournaments. I love big tournaments, I love these tournaments that have that ‘big feel’ to it with the atmosphere.
“I’m looking forward to a good day and we’ll see where that ends up tomorrow night.”
A fourth-place pack on 208 includes England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, Norway’s Viktor Hovland, Canada’s Corey Conners and Americans Justin Thomas, Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele.
No one has ever come from farther behind in the final round to win the Players.
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Ludvig Aberg (file photo). Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
Aberg, the 2024 Masters runner-up, seeks his third PGA Tour title after the 2023 RSM Classic and last year’s Genesis Invitational.
Aberg stumbled at the fourth after finding the right rough off the tee but made a seven-foot putt for bogey.
Other leaders struggled early as well, with second-place Schauffele making bogey at the par-three third after finding a bunker.
Aberg bounced back with a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-five ninth and made the turn with a three-stroke lead.
Young blasted out of a bunker to five feet at the par-five 11th and made the birdie putt to pull within two.
Aberg, however, answered minutes later by sinking a 17-foot eagle putt at 11 for a four-stroke advantage he kept until 18.
Young suffered a bogey at 14 and double bogey at 18.
“I feel like I battled pretty well. I didn’t play great,” Young said. “I just didn’t get it in the fairways much.”
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler fired a bogey-free 67 to stand on 212.
“I was a little sharper than I was the first two days,” he said. “I was swinging it better each day of the tournament. Today hit a few more fairways and was able to give myself a few more looks for birdie.”
Robert MacIntyre’s superb seven-under round of 65 – his best at Sawgrass – had nine birdies, with a brilliant finish of three in succession from the 15th and concluding with a nerveless 10-foot par putt to set the clubhouse lead at seven under.
Seamus Power carded a disappointing 74 today to leave him four-over for the tournament, three shots behind McIlroy. Double bogeys on the 10th and 18th were major setbacks, while he also dropped shots on the first on fourth, to cancel out five birdies.
Shane Lowry missed the weekend cut.
Spectators were delayed from entering the course in the morning “for operational reasons” after two people were shot and killed on Friday night less than a mile from the tournament’s main parking area and the suspect entered PGA property where he encountered tournament employees during his attempted escape.
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McIlroy’s Players Championship struggles continue as Aberg stretches lead
LAST UPDATE | 2 hrs ago
RORY MCILROY CONTINUED to struggle as his slim hopes of a Players Championship defence slipped away after a scrappy level-par round left him in the bottom half of the field.
Two of his three bogeys came after finding water off the ninth and 12th tees, the second cutting short his momentum after successive birdies threatened to kickstart his back nine.
But while the Holywood man, who will defend his Masters title next month, was stuck on one over, his Ryder Cup team-mate dominated, 14 shots ahead.
Ludvig Aberg grinded through a difficult day for a one-under-par 71 and stretched his lead to three strokes.
The 26-year-old Swede, third last week at Bay Hill, made an eagle, birdie and two bogeys to stand on 13-under 203 after 54 holes at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
“Overall I didn’t play my best golf today but felt like I kind of hung in there, which was nice,” Aberg said. “Started the day with a two-shot lead and now we’ve got a three-shot lead, so I guess that’s a good thing.”
American Michael Thorbjornsen shot 67 to grab second on 206 with compatriot Cameron Young third on 207.
“I don’t think I have to change too much,” Thorbjornsen said. “If you play some really steady golf you’ll run into some birdies… slow and steady wins the race and we’re just going to play some solid golf.”
Aberg missed a birdie putt from just inside 60 feet at the par-five 16th and missed eight-foot putts for birdie at the par-three 17th island hole and for par at the 18th.
“Would have loved to have had maybe a couple of those putts on 16 and 17 and obviously the one on 18 as well,” Aberg said.
Even with his stumble at the last, Aberg owned the largest 54-hole lead at the Players since 2018 when Webb Simpson was ahead by seven on his way to victory.
“It will be fun. It’s a challenge for sure,” Aberg said of his lead entering Sunday’s final round.
“I slept on the lead last night and it’s fun. That’s why we play tournaments. I love big tournaments, I love these tournaments that have that ‘big feel’ to it with the atmosphere.
“I’m looking forward to a good day and we’ll see where that ends up tomorrow night.”
A fourth-place pack on 208 includes England’s Matt Fitzpatrick, Norway’s Viktor Hovland, Canada’s Corey Conners and Americans Justin Thomas, Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele.
No one has ever come from farther behind in the final round to win the Players.
Aberg, the 2024 Masters runner-up, seeks his third PGA Tour title after the 2023 RSM Classic and last year’s Genesis Invitational.
Aberg stumbled at the fourth after finding the right rough off the tee but made a seven-foot putt for bogey.
Other leaders struggled early as well, with second-place Schauffele making bogey at the par-three third after finding a bunker.
Aberg bounced back with a seven-foot birdie putt at the par-five ninth and made the turn with a three-stroke lead.
Young blasted out of a bunker to five feet at the par-five 11th and made the birdie putt to pull within two.
Aberg, however, answered minutes later by sinking a 17-foot eagle putt at 11 for a four-stroke advantage he kept until 18.
Young suffered a bogey at 14 and double bogey at 18.
“I feel like I battled pretty well. I didn’t play great,” Young said. “I just didn’t get it in the fairways much.”
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler fired a bogey-free 67 to stand on 212.
“I was a little sharper than I was the first two days,” he said. “I was swinging it better each day of the tournament. Today hit a few more fairways and was able to give myself a few more looks for birdie.”
Robert MacIntyre’s superb seven-under round of 65 – his best at Sawgrass – had nine birdies, with a brilliant finish of three in succession from the 15th and concluding with a nerveless 10-foot par putt to set the clubhouse lead at seven under.
Seamus Power carded a disappointing 74 today to leave him four-over for the tournament, three shots behind McIlroy. Double bogeys on the 10th and 18th were major setbacks, while he also dropped shots on the first on fourth, to cancel out five birdies.
Shane Lowry missed the weekend cut.
Spectators were delayed from entering the course in the morning “for operational reasons” after two people were shot and killed on Friday night less than a mile from the tournament’s main parking area and the suspect entered PGA property where he encountered tournament employees during his attempted escape.
– © AFP 2026
- With reporting from Press Association
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