Despite the multitude of top-tier golfers falling off the leaderboard at the Players Championship on Saturday, Rory McIlroy managed to remain a contender with only 18 holes remaining. However, the day proved challenging for those who teed off later, including overnight frontrunners Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia, who swiftly lost their lead. Adding to the tension, five players couldn’t crack 80 at TPC Sawgrass.
The blustery conditions at TPC Sawgrass, always a formidable test, played a significant role in the day’s play. The high winds transformed the course into an even more daunting battleground, where any player who managed to shoot under par for the day found themselves in the running for Sunday’s showdown.
Rory McIlroy, the 2019 champion, is a figure to watch in the final round. Despite the wind, he managed to score a 73, leaving him just four shots behind leader J.J. Spaun. However, it wasn’t the gusty conditions that posed the most significant challenge for McIlroy on the Florida course.
McIlroy, 35, admitted in a post-round interview that he had trouble adjusting to the putting greens, which were maintained by the tournament organisers to keep the course playable. “All the bogeys I made were really soft. Three-putt on five. Sort of made a mess of 12, three-putted 13, three-putted 17,” McIlroy lamented.
He further added, “They slowed the greens down today for obvious reasons, and I feel like I didn’t adjust very well to that. Then some of the chip shots around the greens, when you start to get downwind, I got a little tentative with some of those, as well.”
McIlroy’s struggles with the greens became evident as he conceded that most of his dropped shots were from around-the-green errors rather than tee to green. Though he managed to make a birdie on 18, he acknowledged the need to adjust better to the slowed greens and downwind chip shots.
As we move into the 2025 season, McIlroy continues to perform impressively, even if he hasn’t quite hit his stride. He secured a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and has consistently finished in the top 17 on the PGA Tour.
However, McIlroy will likely feel a pang of frustration with his putting performance in the third round at Sawgrass, especially considering his impressive form on the greens in the first two days. He managed to gain over four shots on the field with the putter in the initial rounds. But on Saturday, he lost 1.348 shots on the greens, an outcome he felt was largely preventable.
As Sunday approaches and the championship enters its final round, it’s likely Rory McIlroy will spend extra time on the practice green. With the winds still expected to blow, McIlroy’s ability to adjust and improve his performance around the greens will be crucial if he’s to stay in contention for the title.
