Rory McIlroy fell four shots behind leader JJ Spaun after a difficult third round at The Players Championship. McIlroy struggled in blustery conditions, dropping shots on several holes and missing a birdie chance on the 16th. Despite this, he still remains in contention with eight under par.
Spaun showed composure throughout his round, including an outstanding par putt from 25 feet on the final hole. He now leads by one stroke over tour veteran Bud Cauley, who shot a joint-best score of six-under 66 to reach 11 under. Akshay Bhatia and Corey Conners are also tied for second place.
World number one Scottie Scheffler had an inconsistent round, shooting level-par 72 that left him at five under. He will need a strong finish to secure his third straight title at TPC Sawgrass. The leaders will tee off around 14:00 GMT, with BBC Sport providing live radio and text commentary.
The strengthening winds made scoring tough for many players. Min Woo Lee’s errant drive on the fifth hole led to a double bogey, while Collin Morikawa shot high with a costly round of 76. Will Zalatoris’ front-nine performance was undone by a collapse on the back nine, leaving him eight shots behind.
Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre and England’s Tommy Fleetwood also struggled, finishing at five under and four under par respectively. Rickie Fowler signed for an 82 to finish at five over, ending his hopes of winning the tournament.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/sport/golf/articles/c5y0j1j1dl7o