The Players: Ludvig Åberg takes three-shot lead into final round at TPC Sawgrass as Rory McIlroy falls further behind

Ludvig Åberg takes a commanding three-stroke lead into the final round of The Players, as Cam Young and Matt Fitzpatrick were left to rue expensive finishes at TPC Sawgrass.

Åberg started the weekend with a two-shot advantage after a stunning second-round 63, including a record-equalling front nine, with the two-time PGA Tour winner never leaving top spot despite playing his first eight holes in one over on Saturday.

A birdie and eagle over the next two par-fives gave Åberg control, before a closing bogey saw him settle for a one-under 71, moving him to 13 under and comfortably ahead of debutant Michael Thorbjornsen.

Young held solo second until a final-hole double bogey dropped him to nine under, with Fitzpatrick also finishing his third-round 69 with a six to slip to tied-fourth with Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman, Viktor Hovland, Justin Thomas and Corey Conners.

World No 1 Scottie Scheffler bounced back from stuttering into the weekend by firing a bogey-free 67, lifting him to four under, while defending champion Rory McIlroy struggled to a level-par 72 to leave him on one over.

How Åberg built big lead at The Players

Åberg offered early hope to the chasing pack with a slow start to his third round, where he failed to take advantage of the par-five second and then bogeyed the fourth after having to lay up from thick rough.

Thorbjornsen closed within one after following a front-nine 33 with an eagle at the par-five 11th, while Jacob Bridgeman did the same as he raced to the turn in 32, only for both to bogey their next holes and see Åberg move three clear with a seven-foot birdie at the ninth.

Fitzpatrick was two back from Åberg when the Swede rolled in a 20-foot eagle at the par-five 11th, jumping him four ahead, with Young claiming outright second after taking advantage of the same hole and draining a 45-foot birdie at the 13th.

Åberg produced a string of pars along the back nine and saw his lead increase when Young cancelled out a brilliant birdie at the par-three 17th by finding water off the tee, leading to a double-bogey and dropping him back to nine under.

Thorbjornsen held solo second after cancelling out two bogeys on his back nine with successive gains from the 16th, taking him to 10 under, with Åberg’s advantage cut when he finished his round with a three-putt bogey.

“Made a couple of mistakes early, hung in well, it was nice to get off with a birdie on nine,” Åberg told Sky Sports. “Didn’t feel like I had my best stuff today, but overall pleased with getting away with it and getting the ball in the hole.”

“Sawgrass is about execution. If you hit the fairways and hit your shots you’ll get a lot of chances, if you don’t you’ll get punished and that’s the kind of golf I really like. I love these big feel tournaments. Tomorrow will be a challenge but looking forward to it.”

Åberg is looking to claim a third PGA Tour title and first since the 2025 Genesis Invitational, with the 26-year-old looking to become the first since McIlroy in 2019 to turn a 36-hole lead at The Players into victory.

Scotland’s Bob MacIntyre jumped inside the top-10 with a round-of-the-day 65, while Scheffler moved 25 places up the leaderboard after posting five birdies in a much-improved blemish-free card.

McIlroy was unable to match Scheffler’s leaderboard charge as he failed to build any momentum during his third round of his title defence, where he mixed three birdies with as many bogeys in another disappointing display.

Who will win The Players? Watch the final round live on Sunday from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf, with Featured Groups, Featured Holes and bonus coverage on Sky Sports+. Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract.