Rory McIlroy is well off the pace at the Players Championship as Ludvig Aberg leads at TPC Sawgrass by three strokes.
McIlroy shot a level-par round of 72, which included three birdies and three bogeys, as he struggled to shake off rustiness having not practised in the build-up to the PGA Tour’s flagship event due to a back injury.
Two of his three bogeys came after finding water off the ninth and 12th tees, the second cutting short his momentum after successive birdies threatened to kick-start his back nine to leave him one over.
It came as Aberg kept his composure as his rivals lost theirs to edge a step closer to the biggest individual win of his short career.
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The Swede, who turned professional in June 2023 and has two Ryder Cups and three tournament victories to his name, improved his two-shot halfway lead by one after a round of 71 to get to 13 under.
Two-time major champion Xander Schauffele dropped back after a 74, Cameron Young was within three until he double-bogeyed the last in the group ahead of Aberg and Justin Thomas and Corey Conners could only manage level-par rounds of 72 to close on eight under.
Aberg, who is local to Sawgrass, would have had a bigger advantage were it not for his second bogey of the day at the last hole, having missed a short birdie putt on 17 to open up what would have been a five-shot lead as Young was hitting it in the water down the last.
It left Michael Thorbjornsen as his nearest challenger after a 67 moved him to 10 under.
Spectators were delayed from entering the course in the morning “for operational considerations” after two people were shot and killed on Friday night less than a mile from the tournament’s main parking area and the suspect entered PGA property where he encountered tournament employees during his attempted escape.
Séamus Power is in 66th position after a two-over-par 74.
