The The PGA Tour has halted gameplay. At TPC Sawgrass because of an approaching thunderstorm heading towards the Jacksonville region.
Just as the horn was about to sound, Rory McIlroy sank a 13-foot putt. For birdie on the par-5 11th hole to take sole possession of the lead at 12-under par. Then he hit a long iron down the center of the fairway on the par-4 12th, which was his final shot prior to the interruption.
McIlroy, naturally, is aiming for his second Players Championship The title has eluded him for six years now. His most recent victory at TPC Sawgrass was back in 2019 when he carded a final-round score of 70, surpassing Jim Furyk by one stroke.
This year, McIlroy started the season strong. last round following behind J.J. Spaun With just four strokes behind him, McIlroy swiftly closed the gap by starting with a birdie on the first hole and then following up with an impressive eagle two on the par-5 second. He struck a precise 4-iron shot from 231 yards out that stopped 10 feet short of the pin, which he subsequently sank for his eagle attempt.
Meanwhile, Spaun started the day at 12-under. At the difficult par-4 5th hole, he faltered slightly for the first time. Unable to make an up-and-down attempt to salvage par, this caused him to slip back to 11-under, putting him temporarily tied for the lead along with McIlroy and Akshay Bhatia. On the par-3 8th, Spaun lost another stroke, though he promptly regained it with a birdie on the subsequent par-5 9th hole. This particular birdie owed itself to some good fortune; after his third shot found the mounds near the green during the 9th, he stood atop a sprinkler head. As such, he obtained relief. After taking a drop, his ball ended up resting again on top of a different sprinkler head, earning him additional reprieve. Finally dropping onto the fairway, he managed to get up-and-down successfully, finishing the hole with a score of four.
Positioned just one stroke behind Spaun at 10-under par is Bhatia, who maintained this standing. portion of the 36-hole advantage , and Danny Walker, who started the day at 7-under par and was five strokes behind Spaun. Tom Hoge is also at 10-under, since the previous leader was the former. TCU The Horned Frog has a chance to make a birdie putt on the par-4 18th hole and finish with an 11-under total once play continues. Meanwhile, Hoge is currently 6-under for the day, matching what is so far the best score of the day at TPC Sawgrass.
Bud Cauley, who hails from Jacksonville, stands at 9 under and has scored 2 over so far today.
Complete scores as of the suspension are listed below:
1. Rory McIlroy -12
2. J.J. Spaun -11
T3. Akshay Bhatia -10
T3. Danny Walker -10
T3. Tom Hoge -10
6. Bud Cauley
T7. Robert MacIntyre -8
T7. Jake Knapp -8
T7. Patrick Cantlay -8
T7. Alex Smalley -8
T7. Corey Conners -8
T12. Lucas Glover -7
T12. Collin Morikawa -7
T12. Daniel Berger -7
Jack Milko serves as a golf writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on X. @jack_milko .
