Aberg takes three-shot lead into Players final round

The Players Championship, round three leaderboard

-13 L Aberg (Swe); -10 M Thorbjornsen (US); -9 C Young (US)

Selected: -8 J Thomas (US), Schauffele (US), Fitzpatrick (Eng), Hovland (Nor), Harman (US), Conners (Can); -7 R MacIntyre (Sco), S Straka (Aut); -6 J Rose (Eng); -4 S Scheffler (US), T Fleetwood (Eng); +1 R McIlroy (NI)

Ludvig Aberg did not provide the fireworks of Friday but will take a three-shot lead into Sunday’s final round of the Players Championship in Florida.

The Swede, who shot a 63 in round two to move two clear at halfway, backed that up with a one-under-par 71 to improve to 13 under overall.

But while the 26-year-old serenely plotted his way around the famed TPC Sawgrass course, most of his closest challengers failed to spark.

His playing partner, two-time major winner Xander Schauffele, drove the ball well but was wayward with his second shots into greens as he posted a two-over 74 to slip five off the pace.

However, unheralded 24-year-old American Michael Thorbjornsen shot a 67 to leap up to second on the leaderboard, on 10 under par.

He is one ahead of Cameron Young, who found water off the tee on the 18th and dropped two shots on the last hole to end the day as he started it, on nine under.

Young was not the only player to struggle on the last.

England’s Matt Fitzpatrick was 10 under par on the 18th tee but a scruffy double-bogey finish took the shine off his round as he signed for a 69 to be joint fourth on eight under.

Aberg said he is ready to embrace the challenge of trying to close out what would be the biggest win of his career in the PGA Tour’s $25m (£18.9m) flagship event.

“I think about winning a lot,” he said. “I think a lot about what it would look like, what it would feel like. I think a lot about the different scenarios that might happen. I did that in college, I did that when I turned pro and I still do it.

“I’m trying to embrace it. We spend so much time preparing, so why wouldn’t we think of what it would actually mean to win.

“So naturally that’s what I’m going to do [on Saturday evening]. But does it change anything for me [on Sunday]? I don’t think so.

“I’ll definitely be nervous. I’ve been nervous the past three days. Whoever says they don’t get nervous is not really true to themselves.”

Aberg looked set to have a four-shot advantage for the final round after hitting his second shot on the par-four 18th 25ft from the hole.

But he raced his birdie putt past and failed to knock in a seven-footer for par as he made a rare mistake.

It was just a second bogey of the round – and third of the championship – for the Swede, who lives locally and calls Sawgrass his home course.

“The three-putt on 18 stings, annoys me, but I started the day with a two-shot lead and ended with a three, so that’s a positive,” he said.

The highlight of his round was an eagle-three on the downwind par-five 11th. He fired his second shot from 238 yards to 17ft before holing the putt.