THE PLAYERS Championship Round 3: J.J. Spaun Survives the Wind to Lead by One

Saturday at TPC Sawgrass was not a golf tournament so much as an endurance test, and J.J. Spaun was the one still standing at the top when the wind finally let up.

Spaun shot 2-under 70 in steady wind and gusts up to 25 mph to reach 12-under 204 and take a one-shot lead into the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship. Bud Cauley, who posted 66, is alone in second at 11 under. Lucas Glover (71) and Alex Smalley (72) are three back at 9 under, and Rory McIlroy (73) is four back at 8 under alongside Akshay Bhatia and Corey Conners. The field averaged about 74, per AFP, and five rounds of 80 or higher were posted.

Spaun Bends, Never Breaks

Spaun's 70 was the lowest score among the final 10 groups, and it was a grind from start to finish. He birdied the 2nd from 4 feet and the 3rd from 27 feet, gave one back at the 4th, then two-putted from 39 feet at the par-5 9th to take the lead outright. A 6-foot birdie at the 12th pushed the margin to two.

The closing stretch tested him. Spaun found the trees off the tee at 15 and made bogey, then answered by holing a 29-footer from off the green at 16 for birdie. He dropped another shot at the island-green 17th. That left the 18th, where his 25-foot par putt caught the edge and spun around the cup before falling in. It was the difference between a one-shot lead and a tie for the lead.

"Huge," Spaun said of the putt, per AFP. "I knew I just didn't want to let my mental game get the best of me."

It is a big moment for a 34-year-old with one PGA TOUR title. Spaun has been near the top all week, starting with a bogey-free 66 on Thursday.

Cauley's Big Day

If Spaun survived the wind, Cauley attacked it. Cauley made seven birdies and an eagle for a 66, one of the best rounds of the week given the conditions. The highlight was a chip-in eagle from about 35 feet at the par-5 9th, which the TOUR named the Shot of the Day. He also birdied three of his last four holes, including a 27-footer at 15 and a 15-footer at 17.

"Seemed like every hole was a challenge with the wind," Cauley said.

Cauley's comeback story gives this one a different feel. He suffered crushing injuries in a 2018 car crash, and now he will play the final round with a real shot at the biggest title of his career.

Glover's Roller Coaster

Glover's 71 contained one of the wildest three-hole stretches you will see. He made double bogey at 15, chipped in for eagle at the par-5 16th, then made double again at 17 when his tee shot came up short of the island. He still sits three back.

"It's pretty razor thin around here anyway," Glover said, per the AP.

The Wind Takes Its Victims

For some contenders, Saturday was brutal. Will Zalatoris was briefly tied for the lead standing on the 14th tee. Within roughly an hour he had played his last five holes in 9 over and signed for a 78. Collin Morikawa, two back at the start of the day, made eight bogeys and shot 77. Bhatia, who shared the 36-hole lead, birdied the 1st and then went bogey, bogey, double bogey before limping in with a 75. His co-leader Min Woo Lee also fell out of the top 10.

Scottie Scheffler's bid for a third straight title took another hit. The world No. 1 bogeyed two of his last three holes for a 72 and is seven back. "It was definitely very challenging," Scheffler said.

McIlroy Hangs Around

McIlroy never got anything going on the greens but still birdied the 18th to stay four back. He pinned his struggles on the short game rather than his ball striking.

"They slowed the greens down today for obvious reasons and I didn't adjust very well to that," McIlroy said, per AFP. He added, per the AP, "Most of the dropped shots were from around-the-green mistakes rather than tee-to-green."

Conners matched Cauley's 66 to join McIlroy and Bhatia at 8 under. Danny Walker, the alternate who got into the field when Jason Day withdrew Thursday morning, also shot 66 early and sits five back.

Sunday's Race Against the Weather

The final round will look different. With wind and rain in the forecast, the TOUR moved tee times up to the morning and sent players off in threesomes from the 1st and 10th tees. Spaun is chasing his second TOUR win, Cauley his first, and a pack of major winners and grinders sits within four. One shot, a soggy forecast and the most famous closing stretch in golf are all that separate them from a $4.5 million payday.

Catch up on the first two days with our Round 1 recap and Round 2 recap. Full scoring is on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR has the third-round story (opens in a new tab).

Sources: PGA TOUR (third-round story, leaderboard, schedule update), AP, AFP. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.