After a meteorological delay in the championship of players of four hours and six seconds, Rory McILroy calmly accelerated his approach shooting on the 12th hole by 4 and made its doors inside 14 feet. A putt later, McILroy had put a two -step cushion between him and the field. A few moments after that, JJ Spaun, second in solo, missed a putt by … and just like that, McILroy was in place three shots on the field.
When the rain interrupted the game shortly after 1 pm, McILroy maintained the advance at -12; with Spaun at -11; And Akshay Bhatia, Tom Hoge and Danny Walker at -10. A few minutes after restarting, McILroy was held at -13, with Spaun and the rest at -10 with only six holes to play.
Advertisement
(Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem is back: enter for a blow to win up to $ 50,000))
Naturally, McILroy's good fortune would not last. He dropped a stroke while the Spaun joined, and the two played the last hole all equal to -12. McILroy radiated the hole, and the winner of Spaun stopped a few centimeters from the hole.
McILroy and Spaun will return for a series of three holes on Monday morning at 9 a.m.
“I am happy to be in the position I am, but also I have the impression of having chances there on the nine rear to close the door, and I have not completely done it,” said McILroy. “A bit of both. But I am delighted with the opportunity tomorrow.”
Advertisement
McILroy had started the day at -8, four strokes of Spaun's advance. But McILroy started his Birdie-Eagle round, enough to get him into hunting. He put on the birdies around the late rain to claim the head three strokes … briefly.
But as McILroy does not seem to manage prosperity, he immediately flared his shooting on 14 wide on the right. He struck and above the trees in the fairway, then cut at less than 16 feet. But he could not draw the putt by and made a blow on the ground.
Behind him, Spaun extended an approach drawn out of 149 yards 14 inch from the cup, and he typed this for a birdie to get closer. On the 15th, McILroy failed to convert a two -foot sneaktepit, leaving the door open … and the Spaun crossed.
Advertisement
“Once Bogey (out of 11) struck me, I just tried to retaliate,” said Spaun. “I have sort of gone with the chances. I had nothing to lose. Now, I try to catch Rory, and I can't really control what he does, but I can control what I do, and I just started getting involved in my photos and my swing and trusting him more.”
McILroy walked to the famous Sawgrass Island Green with an advance at a blow, but it would not last. After watching the starting coup of the game partner Alex Smalley along the wall and falling into the water, McILroy was able to stick green and install a putt by success. Behind him, Spaun sneakted on the 16th and held the green on the 17th. His 45 -foot putt rolled at less than three feet, and he typed for a peer.
This left both Spaun and McILroy tied up to -12 on the 18th and last hole. The approach of McILroy out of 18 fell from the pin, leaving him a 74 -foot putt for Birdie. He rolled the putt about four feet from the hole. Almost simultaneously, the shoot of Spaun was rolled just in the pine straw on the right side of the fairway.
McILroy curled up in a trying putt for the nerves to enter the clubhouse at -12 and put all the pressure on the spaun behind. Spaun has forced its path out of the straw and on green, with 30 feet between him and a championship title of players. His Birdie Putt finished a few centimeters short and he typed to force a series of Monday.
The others in the mixture during the day included Bud Cauley, who continues to get back in shape following a litany of injuries and medical problems. Cauley was solo second before Sunday at -11, but four bogeys in the first 11 holes exploded his hopes of tournament.
“He's such a good player. I think it would be a crime if he does not win at one point in his career,” said Justin Thomas, a teammate from Cauley's college on Sunday. “Dude, he has just crossed a lot. He had a lot of injuries and just fought a lot of ups and downs and just madness. I'm just happy to have him here and play and see him again all the time.”
Advertisement
The double reigning champion Scottie Scheffler was hard – relatively speaking – day and week. His frustrated smile when his putt by made 18 loops around the cup and did not suggest voluptuousness; Scheffler is always the best player in the world, but the margin is not as wide this year as in 2024.
“Obviously, the condition was quite difficult with the wind, then we had the big deadline there,” said Scheffler. “I just didn't really do it today or this week. Today, I did not give myself enough opportunities and I did not have enough putts. I felt likely to put most of the day at a distance.”
The best reaction of the day belonged to the former champion if Woo Kim, who celebrated powerfully when he entered Green on 18:
Kim ended up the pace at -1, but at least he ended his day with a smile.
McILroy and Spaun will return Monday morning for a global of three holes on the holes 16, 17 and 18.
“I feel like I had the chance to go home with the trophy tonight,” said McILroy. “But I'm going to have a good night's sleep and reset and try to win it tomorrow.”
