Miami (AFP) – Ludvig Aberg grinded through a difficult day for a one-under-par 71 and stretched his lead to three strokes after Saturday’s third round of the US PGA Players Championship. 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.”
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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.” World number two Rory McIlroy, the defending champion, shot 72 to finish on 217.
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