Summary

  • Players Championship leaderboard (external website), external

  • Champion: -13 Young (68)

  • Selected: -12 Fitzpatrick (68); -11 Schauffele (69); -10 MacIntyre (69); -9 Yellamaraju (68), Bridgeman (70), Aberg (76)

  • -8 Fleetwood (68), Straka (71), Thomas (72); -6 Koepka (71), Rose (72); -5 Scheffler (71); Level McIlroy (71)

  • Listen to live commentary of 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and BBC Sport website and app from 18:30 GMT

  1. Chance missed for Fitzy as Young birdies 11th holepublished at 20:04 GMT 15 March

    Young -11, Fitzpatrick -11 (10)

    Matt Fitzpatrick carries a look of disbelief and disgust all into one as he nudges a birdie putt right from 11 feet on the 10th.

    Cam Young shows him how it is done, sinking his birdie attempt from 15 feet to draw level on 11 under.

  2. Koepka miss on 17published at 20:02 GMT 15 March

    Koepka -8 (17)

    Great shot into 17 from Brooks Koepka but he can't convert for the birdie, which would've made things interesting for him going down the last with a chance to get to 10 under.

    As it is he stays eight under but that's still a decent showing from him, he's made plenty ofbirdies this week but just a few too many mistakes.

  3. Missed chance as Aberg makes the turnpublished at 19:55 GMT 15 March

    Aberg -13, Thorbjornsen -6 (9)

    Ludvig Aberg at the Players ChampionshipImage source, Getty Images

    It's only a par on the ninth for Ludvig Aberg, I say only as he's destroyed the par fives this week, playing them in 12 under so far, but his chip out of the greenside rough with his third shot left him with too much work to do.

    And for all his solid play, I'd say it's his chipping around the greens that certainly seems to be his weak point.

    So the Swede closes his front nine on level par for the day, still 13 under for the tournament and with just a two-shot lead as things stand, with Robert MacIntyre and Matt Fitzpatrick looking in flying form.

  4. MacIntyre closes inpublished at 19:50 GMT 15 March

    Schauffele -8, MacIntyre -11 (11)

    Robert MacIntyre is within two shots of the lead. How worried should Ludvig Aberg be?

    Well the Scot does not look like he is going anywhere and makes a birdie on the 11th with a delicate chip into three feet before tidying up.

    He is completely outplaying his playing partner, two-tiume major winner Xander Schauffele at present.

  5. Scottie signs off with a bogeypublished at 19:49 GMT 15 March

    Scheffler -5 (71)

    Scottie Scheffler at the Players ChampionshipImage source, Getty Images

    Well doesn't this just sum up Scottie Scheffler's week at Sawgrass, as he misses a three footer on the final green to finish with a bogey and sign for a 71.

    It's been a difficult and disappointing Players Championship for the two-time champion, who seemed to be thrown by his early driver woes and messing about with changing clubs.

    I'm sure the world number one will be back stronger though and get back to his best ahead of The Masters coming up very quickly on the horizon.

  6. Postpublished at 19:45 GMT 15 March

    Young -10, Fitzpatrick -11 (9)

    Matt Fitzpatrick's run of birdies on the par-five holes comes to an end. He flies the green with his second but just leaves the return journey short and looks like he misreads the birdie putt from 11 feet which stays right.

  7. Straka moves into contentionpublished at 19:41 GMT 15 March

    Straka -10 (12)

    Sepp Straka is well and truly in contention now. The Austrian makes birdies on the ninth, 10th and 11th and now saves his par on the 12th.

    Straka's best finish at this tournament was in 2022, when he finished tied for ninth at seven under.

  8. Harman lands an eaglepublished at 19:41 GMT 15 March

    Harman -8, Hovland -8 (9)

    Brian Harman, one of the shortest hitters on the PGA Tour, manages to reach the ninth green in two and then lets his huge putter nail a huge putt from about 40 feet away to land an eagle.

    Viktor Hovland makes 'just' a birdie on the same hole as this pair reach the turn in level par so back on eight under where they started the day.

    That's by no means out of this tournament just yet either.

  9. Eagle for Rosepublished at 19:38 GMT 15 March

    Rose -7 (12)

    Up ahead Justin Rose has turned flipped his round from one over to one under with a superb eagle on the 11th.

    The Englishman looked in all sorts of bother in the front bunker and had 40 yards or so to negotiate.

  10. Postpublished at 19:34 GMT 15 March

    Young -10, Fitzpatrick -11 (8)

    Just not quite enough gas on that.

    Matt Fitzpatrick's birdie putt tiptoes down towards the cup on the eighth but it's short of the pace required to drop.

    Nowt doing for Cam Young either, who takes a regulation par.

  11. Postpublished at 19:30 GMT 15 March

    Schauffele -8, MacIntyre -10 (10)

    Robert MacIntyre goes into rescue mode on the 10th after pushing a loose tee-shot way right.

    Thankfully as a left-hander he can restrict the damage but he still needs a 10-foot putt to prevent a very untimely bogey.

  12. Safe enough for the Swedepublished at 19:29 GMT 15 March

    Aberg -13, Thorbjornsen -7 (7)

    More of the same from Ludvig Aberg, a great drive, safe enough approach but a long 20-foot plus putt for birdie, which he can't make.

    Safe is the word you'd probably use right now, he's aggressive off the tee but a bit more conservative in his approach play.

    He's 12 under on the par fives this week though so you suspect he's saving himself to have a crack at the ninth when that comes around.

  13. Postpublished at 19:27 GMT 15 March

    Thomas -8 (9)

    Justin Thomas is doing too much firefighting at the moment for his liking but he isn't half good to watch.

    The American has to chip out after a wayward tee shot into the tree down the ninth but still saves his par with an ice-cold putt from six feet.

  14. Great chippublished at 19:26 GMT 15 March

    Scheffler -6 (16)

    Scottie Scheffler was an inche from pulling off a worldie of a chip from off the 16th green, which would have given him an eagle.

    He knocks in the birdie to get to six under, which is two under for the day after a poor early double bogey.

  15. Birdie for Young as Fitzpatrick gets up & down for parpublished at 19:18 GMT 15 March

    Young -10, Fitzpatrick -11 (7)

    Matt Fitzpatrick leaves himself with it all to do with a wayward approach to the left of the seventh green.

    It's awkward down there but he somehow manages to zip into six feet and keep his card clean with a par-saving putt.

    Cameron Young is dialed in with his wedge and taps in from three feet for a very welcome birdie.

  16. Another parpublished at 19:12 GMT 15 March

    Aberg -13, Thorbjornsen -7 (6)

    Just a par for Ludvig Aberg but again he has a long look at birdie, so if he keeps playing like that then you'd imagine he'd get a couple of them to drop.

  17. Birdie for MacIntyrepublished at 19:11 GMT 15 March

    Schauffele -8, MacIntyre -10 (9)

    MacIntyreImage source, Getty Images

    Robert MacIntyre's game has almost been as bold and aggressive as his tangerine-coloued polo shirt.

    But he is reslishing the task in front of him and sinks his fourth birdie putt of the round to reach the turn at three under for the day.

    Not to be outdone Xander Schauffele picks up his first birdie since the second, which was also a par-five hole.

  18. Rookie putting in a shift at Sawgrasspublished at 19:10 GMT 15 March

    Sudarshan Yellamaraju -8 (12)

    Sudarsham YellamarajuImage source, Getty Images

    There's a rather unfamiliar, and rather long, name near the top of the leaderboard in Sudarshan Yellamaraju - who fired in a round of 66 yesterday to get into contention.

    The PGA Tour rookie was born in India but moved to Canada with his family aged four - and says he learned his golf swing watching Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods videos on YouTube.

    The left-hander is largely self taught, and didn't go to college like so many players these days, instead turning pro aged 19 and plying his trade on the PGA Tour Canada and Korn Ferry Tour - where he earned his PGA Tour card last season.

    He's three under for the day but a strong finish could see him set an interesting clubhouse lead.

  19. Thomas saves parpublished at 19:05 GMT 15 March

    Thomas -8 (8)

    Justin Thomas was in trouble. Now he is out of it.

    The American can conjure up more shots that Harry Houdini and clips his ball into close range from the rough before rolling in for par.

  20. Postpublished at 19:01 GMT 15 March

    Young -9, Fitzpatrick -11 (6)

    Matt Fitzpatrick needed a couple more revolutions on a 30-foot putt to be at 12 under.

    The Englishman is playing great golf, only two back and could really ramp up the pressure on Ludvig Aberg if he can find another birdie or two.

    In contrast Cameron Young can't get a break on the greens and takes three with his flatstick to record his first bogey of the day.