PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — It was a case of damage limitation in difficult, wind-swept conditions Saturday at The Players Championship, where J.J. Spaun emerged with a one-shot lead after the third round.
The 34-year-old Californian, who earned his first PGA Tour win at the 2022 Valero Texas Open after 147 career starts, hung tough to card a 2-under-par 70 at the TPC Sawgrass for a 12-under total of 204.
Spaun led by two after sinking a 30-footer for birdie from off the green at the par-5 16th. He then stumbled with a three-putt bogey from long range at the iconic 17th hole before saving par with a 25-foot putt at 18 to stay one shot ahead.
Bud Cauley, who earned a spot in the PGA Tour’s flagship event after Lee Hodges withdrew on Monday, was alone in second at 11 under after firing a sparkling 6-under 66, while Lucas Glover (71) and Alex Smalley (72) were at 9 under.
World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, two strokes off the pace overnight, stayed in the title hunt with a 73 that included three birdies and four bogeys. The Northern Irishman was in a tie for fifth at 8-under par with Akshay Bhatia (75) and Canada’s Corey Conners (66).
Spaun, who has posted two top-three finishes in eight PGA Tour starts this year, was very happy with his position heading into the final round after mixing five birdies with three bogeys on Saturday.
“I’ve been playing really well this year, so I can’t say I’m particularly too surprised, but I’m definitely glad to be in a position to have a chance to win the golf tournament tomorrow,” Spaun said. “All I can do is keep pushing forward and see where we all add up tomorrow.
“I was hitting really good quality golf shots from tee to green and just giving myself looks and not really being in stressful situations. Keeping the ball in front of me, keeping it in the short grass for the most part. I drove it well.”
Spaun seized the outright lead for the first time after recording a two-putt birdie at the par-5 ninth, and then moved two strokes clear with a birdie at the par-4 12th, where he sank a 6-footer.
“I was just trying to hit it close to pins but only when we knew we had the right club and the right wind to do so,” he said. “If not, then we were just going to hit it to 30 feet and try to make one. I did that a couple times, and I think that’s the key to playing in really tough conditions, especially around a course like this.”
Scoring was not at all easy for the late starters as winds strengthened from 15-20 mph in the afternoon, with gusts up to 34 mph. The scoreboard fluctuated wildly, and six players held at least a share of the lead.
Cauley, a 34-year-old who is hunting his first victory on the PGA Tour in his 207th career start, moved into second place on the leaderboard after reeling off three consecutive birdies from the par-4 15th, where he drained a 28-foot putt.
“It was tough today,” said Cauley. “Seemed like every hole was a challenge with the wind and just trying to somehow get it on the fairway and get it on the green and roll in a putt.
“I feel like the most important thing is just putting the ball in the fairway. I’ve been driving the ball pretty well all week and I’ve also been putting well. … Yeah, it was a great round. Always great to finish that way, too, birdieing three of the last four.”
McIlroy, who won the Players Championship in 2019 and owns four top-10s at the venue, felt that he had played better than he scored.
“All the bogeys I made were really soft,” McIlroy said. “Three-putt on five. Sort of made a mess of 12, three-putted 13, three-putted 17.
“Most of the dropped shots were from around-the-green mistakes rather than tee to green. I felt like I hit the ball pretty well, controlled my flight. It was nice to make a birdie on 18 at least and see one putt go in,” McIlroy added, referring to his 9-foot putt at the par-4 18th. “Not out of it by any means. The wind is supposed to still be blowing tomorrow, so yeah, it was nice to birdie that just to get one closer to J.J. on the last.”
Top-ranked Scottie Scheffler, the reigning champion who is bidding for an unprecedented third successive Players victory, stood at 5 under and a tie for 16th after a 72 that included two bogeys in his last three holes.
“It was a tough finish for me,” said Scheffler. “I felt like I did some good things there towards the end and just the shots weren’t going exactly where I thought they were going to. … I did a pretty good job managing it most of the day. It was just really tough out there.”
The biggest early move on Saturday came from Jacksonville resident Danny Walker, who earned a late berth in The Players field after 2016 champion Jason Day withdrew before the start of Thursday’s opening round due to an illness.
The 29-year-old Walker, who had advanced to the weekend right on the cutline, took advantage of the calmer morning conditions by firing a bogey-free 66 that propelled him up the leaderboard to 7-under overall and a tie for eighth.
“It’s always a little stressful when you’re right on the cut line, and once you make the weekend, it’s easy to free it up because you don’t have anything to lose,” said the PGA Tour rookie, who reeled off four birdies in his outward nine. “I can’t go backwards, you can only move forwards at that point.
“I played really well the last 10 holes or so yesterday to finish the round. I was able to just keep that ball-striking momentum going into today.”
Due to inclement weather forecast for Sunday afternoon, the PGA Tour moved up start times for Sunday’s final round, with the field teeing off in threesomes from 8-10:01 a.m. ET. Those lower on the leaderboard will start their rounds on the 10th hole.
–Mark Lamport-Stokes, Field Level Media
