The Players Championship’s Saturday round was marked by unexpected twists and turns, as once-leading contenders Min Woo Lee and Akshay Bhatia found themselves dethroned. While the winds of TPC Sawgrass played their part in unsettling the leaderboard, it was the unexpected performance of five players who failed to break the 80 mark that truly shook things up.
One such player, Rickie Fowler, along with Cameron Young, saw their third-round scores commencing with a regrettable eight. Concurrently, Scottie Scheffler’s hopes of reclaiming the lead were dashed as his level par round caused him to slip further away. Likewise, Collin Morikawa’s aspirations of recovering from his Arnold Palmer Invitational disappointment were extinguished following a disheartening score of 77.
However, amidst the chaos, J.J. Spaun emerged as the new frontrunner, leading by a single stroke over Bud Cauley. Not far behind, Rory McIlroy, a previous TPC Sawgrass victor, lingered just four shots behind Spaun. Despite struggling with the greens on day three, McIlroy remained a strong contender, drawing attention from golf pundits including Rex Hoggard.
In his Golf Channel Podcast, Hoggard placed his bet on McIlroy to clinch the victory, stating, “Rory McIlroy, as you pointed out, he’s the one with the pedigree. He’s the one that seems to have the most confidence right now.” He further highlighted McIlroy’s previous triumph at Pebble Beach under similar conditions, arguing that the Northern Irishman has what it takes to seal the win.
As the tournament moves into its final day, the question remains – can McIlroy, with his impressive track record, capitalize on this golden opportunity at TPC Sawgrass? After all, Scottie Scheffler, despite being seven shots back, has previously overcome a five-shot deficit to secure victory in 2024.
Saturday’s round also brought unexpected leaps in the leaderboard, with Danny Walker jumping an impressive 57 places after barely making the cut. However, such dramatic gains are expected to be less likely on Sunday, with players grouped in three-balls due to anticipated weather concerns.
There’s no denying that a fast start for McIlroy could set him up for a repeat of his Wells Fargo Championship win against Xander Schauffele. But he’ll need to watch out for the four contenders ahead of him, none of whom shot over par in Saturday’s challenging conditions. Complacency, it seems, is a luxury McIlroy can ill afford as the Players Championship enters its final round.
