A second birdie of the day for Patrick Cantlay moves him on to nine under and although he's not been mentioned much he's bang in this tournament right now.

Collin Morikawa makes amends for that bogey with a birdie on the next hole, the eighth, to get back to seven under.

And I'm trying desperately to get a Colin From Accounts reference in here somewhere - and failing miserably. Luckily, Morikawa is far better at getting the ball in the hole so he's still just about in touch with the leaders.

Image source, Getty Images

There's a storm approaching TPC Sawgrass today, but a whirlwind has already hit thanks to that explosive start from Rory McIlroy.

Can he keep this up and surge to the title?

The crane camera job at the Players Championship is not one for the faint hearted...

If you're wondering why we've given you no updates on Scottie Scheffler for a while, it's because there hasn't been much to say.

The world's best player is trundling round Sawgrass at level par for his round.

Any charge for a third straight title here will need to get motoring soon.

He's currently at the sixth tee box.

JJ Spaun was not intimidated playing alongside Rory McIlroy yesterday so we'll see if he gets flustered by the knowledge the world number two is firmly back on his tail.

He takes aim at the second green and leaves it short but well on the fairway and in an ideal spot for a lay-up for birdie.

Image source, Getty Images

Rory McIlroy just gently taps his eagle putt and it rolls down the slope and drops softly into the cup - that was in from the moment it left the blade.

A birdie-eagle start and McIlroy is just a shot off the lead!

Game. On!

Image source, Getty Images

We talked up Collin Morikawa earlier but he's let us down with a bogey on seven to drop back to six under. I wouldn't say put a line through him just yet, but he'll need to find some birdies quickly.

Rory McIlroy absolutely rips a long iron from 228 yards on the second that's right at the flag and rolls up just about 10 feet short.

He'll have that putt for an eagle....

No birdies for the final three but an important five-footer for par goes in from JJ Spaun. He maintains his three-shot lead.

For a split second, Bud Cauley thought he was going to join him on 12 under par but his birdie effort kissed the edge of the cup and stayed afloat.

Akshay Bhatia had a tough day yesterday but he's bounced back brilliantly to start the day with birdies at his opening two holes.

The left-hander is right back in this now.

Image source, Getty Images

Huge gallery following Rory McIlroy at Sawgrass today. If ever you go to a golf tournament in the USA you'll realise what a huge draw McIlroy is in the United States.

A real needle mover.

Patrick Cantlay comes up short with an eagle putt on the par-five second but that's good enough for a birdie that sees him improve to eight under and well in touch.

Great start for Rory McIlroy as he sticks his second shot close to about eight feet and rolls in the putt for birdie to go to nine under.

Alex Smalley matches him after hitting his approach even closer so he's now just two shots back.

JJ Spaun was a metronome during his unflappable round yesterday. Frankly, it was impressive.

Teeing off on Sunday leading The Players is different gravy but you wouldn't know it. Flushed down the fairway.

Lucas Glover and Bud Cauley join him in the middle of the short stuff.

Image source, Getty Images

JJ Spaun look away now.

Having a one-shot lead going into Players Championship Sunday is by no means a guarantee of success.

According to golf guru Justin Ray, since 2007 nine players have been in that situation including those with the resume of Jon Rahm (2019) and Xander Schauffele (2024).

All failed to close out.

Image source, Getty Images

Also joining the final group is PGA journeyman Bud Cauley, for whom a win today would be a wonderful narrative.

An outstanding prospect in college during the late 00s, he was a mainstay on PGA leaderboards until 2018 when a serious car accident left him six broken ribs, a broken leg and a collapsed lung.

He only got his tour card back in 2024 but his round of 66 on Saturday has presented him a chance of a first victory.

Oh and it's his birthday today too. Happy 35th Bud!

Alex Smalley is the only one of this penultimate group to find the first fairway, as Rory McIlroy starts his bid to land his biggest title since winning this event in 2019.

McIlroy's just off the fairway to begin with.

Image source, Getty Images

Onto our final group and first up will be Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open champion.

He chipped in three times yesterday, but also had two double bogeys in his one-under round of 71 - which left him three shots off the lead.

His round summed up just how volatile scoring can be at TPC Sawgrass in the wind.

"It was tough," said Glover after his round. "It's pretty razor thin around here anyway and then you add in 25, 30 miles an hour with some gusts, it shrinks things even more.

"But I hit a couple of bad shots and got penalised the maximum I could have gotten penalised."

How are the likes of Bob, Tommy and Aaron faring, I hear you ask?

Well, Scotland's Bob MacIntyre's hopes of sneaking up into the top 10 suffered an early blow with a bogey on the first, while Englishman Tommy Fleetwood also dropped a shot on the opener. He let another one go on the third but has hit back with a birdie on the fifth.

Wolverhampton's Aaron Rai is the only climber. A real mixed bag of a start though with three birdies and two bogeys in his opening seven holes.