The Players Championship: JJ Spaun Leads by One as McIlroy Makes Early Charge at TPC Sawgrass
The Players Championship final round action is underway at TPC Sawgrass with J.J. Spaun holding a slim one-shot lead at 12-under par. Due to expected thunderstorms later today, all tee times were moved up, with players starting between 8am and 10:01am ET from both the 1st and 10th tees.
Current Leaderboard:
- J.J. Spaun (-12)
- Rory McIlroy (-11)
- Bud Cauley (-11)
- Akshay Bhatia (-10)
- Alex Smalley (-10)
- Lucas Glover (-9)
- Multiple players at (-8)
Man wearing white shirt and cap
Early Round Highlights:
- McIlroy eagled the par-5 second hole to move within one shot of the lead
- Bhatia started strong with back-to-back birdies on holes 1 and 2
- Spaun made a crucial par save on the first hole to maintain his lead
- Collin Morikawa moved into the top-10 after going three-under through five holes
The winner will collect $4.5 million from one of professional golf's largest prize purses. Weather forecasts predict storms arriving around 3pm ET, but officials hope to complete the tournament today. If not, play will extend to Monday.
The last nine players to hold a one-shot lead entering the final round at The Players have failed to win, adding extra pressure on Spaun as he seeks the biggest victory of his career. His caddie Mark Carens previously won this event with Si Woo Kim, providing valuable experience down the stretch.