I've been negligent in not covering Lucas Glover who struggled around the front nine but has caught fire on the back.

He's just potted his third birdie in five holes to move to nine under.

Perhaps the 2009 US Open champion is not quite out of this after all.

Rory McIlroy pounds a wedge 161 yards - it lands about 165 yards and spins back pin high to leave a nice birde chance.

Rip up those obituaries for JJ Spaun as the American is about to be right back in this.

What a shot on the 14th - remember, this is the hardest hole on the golf course - and he's left himself less than a foot for birdie.

Tap that in and he'll only be one off McIlroy.

There's a 60-70 yard walk from the 17th green to the 18th tee and Bob MacIntyre is next to tackle the notoriously tricky final hole.

The Scot whistles a tee shot straight through the fairway, his ball clattering one of the trees that protect the right edge and coming to rest in the pine straw. He might be blocked out for his second.

Akshay Bhatia just can't get to grips with the speed of the greens now as he lets another good birdie chance go begging on 15.

Smoked! Rory McIlroy responds to the bogey with a flushed three wood of the 15th tee that went as straight as an arrow.

I'd put the big dog away if I was him now and just use that club as he can send it out there just fine.

On to the 17th for Bob MacIntyre. Safe tee shot. Heart of the green but he's got a tricky 32-footer up and over a ridge, down towards the hole. His ball is tracking well. Really well. Oh my. Birdie time for Bob again.

That's four in the past six holes - with a bogey in the middle.

A birdie down the last and he's tied the clubhouse lead.

These softer greens are taking a lot of spin now after all the rain, as Akshay Bhatia shows by getting some action on his approach to 15 to set-up a birdie chance.

Outrageous amount of spin on Rory McIlroy's approach, which zips back miles on the green to leave an outside chance of saving par.

But not only does he miss but he blazes it right through the break and four feet past!

That's a nervy one to leave coming back for a bogey - but he manages to calm himself to roll it in and drop just one shot.

The lead is now down to two.

That is a dime from JJ Spaun off the tee at the par-three 13th and he's given himself a decent birdie look from 14 feet.

Can he claw back to within two? Ah no, he's left it short. Tentative from the overnight leader.

Meanwhile, Bud Caulay slips right back with another bogey after misjudging his approach.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent at Sawgrass

Rory carries a 61-degree wedge and I think he used that there.

Rory McIlroy takes his medicine and just lobs the ball high up and over the trees and back onto the fairway.

Ah... so Bob MacIntyre was playing his third into the 16th. We weren't shown his wayward tee shot and hack out of the undergrowth.

Still, from 176 yards to two feet is decent and he knocks in the birdie.

A par for Danny Walker, which isn't bad on 14 today as the toughest hole on the course, with a scoring average of 4.41 so far in the final round.

Akshay Bhatia left his birdie putt a good few feet short but tidies up to stay at 10 under - he'll need to find some birdies soon though to challenge Rory McIlroy.

Uh oh! First spot of bother for Rory McIlroy as he sprays his tee shot on 14 miles right, and sends the fans scurrying off into the trees to surround his ball and get a good view of his second.

That continues the theme of the week of McIlroy's driver just not functioning properly - and it's usually his big strength.

Bobby MacIntyre. Take a bow. He's out with a long iron for his second shot on the par-five 16th and gives his ball a biff. "Go" he shouts after it and it does indeed go, and takes a slightly fortuitous bounce off the front edge of the green that takes his ball to kick-in range.

Eagle incoming. How he must be rueing that bogey on the 15th.

Shot tracking tells me it's 37 feet for Rory McIlroy down the hill at 13, which he navigates expertly to leave a little two-foot tickle to tick off another par.

Gutsy from Bud Caulay who again bounces back from a bogey with a birdie, this time on the 12th.

I can't see him reeling in Rory McIlroy but this is still likely to be a career finish for the American who turned 35 today.

Playing partner JJ Spaun can't follow him in for birdie so he stays three back of McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy isn't playing with the water on 13 so hangs his tee shot high up on the right and looking to bring it down the slope, as Akshay Bhatia did just before him.

However, the ball clings on up there and he's left himself what must be about 40 feet to get down in two for his par.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent at Sawgrass

Although he loves the back nine at Sawgrass, Rory doesn't love the par-three 13th. He's a cumulative six over par on this hole.