Nice sand save from off the 15th green for Tom Hoge to remain at nine under and still in contention. Its all about not dropping shots now, as anything could happen over this Sawgrass back nine.

We've not seen much of him today but Bob MacIntyre goes pin-hunting on the par-four 12th, arrowing a wedge in to around three feet. A birdie here and the Scotsman is up to seven under and just four off the lead.

He couldn't... could he?!

A strange bogey for Akshay Bhatia who wasn't in any real trouble off the tee but hit a ropey second then a dodgy chip and a heavy handed first putt to leave a testing six footer just for bogey.

He holes it though to limit the damage to just one - probably his best shot of the hole.

So Rory McIlroy is again the outright leader.

Not a great start to the back nine for Rory McIlroy, as he pulls his tee shot on 10 left and into the sand - just as he did yesterday.

Image source, Getty Images

Now here's possibly the story of the entire tournament. The last man in the field Danny Walker, who reaches the turn at eight under and only three shots off the lead.

The PGA Tour rookie had a bit of a cry in his car after getting the call early Thursday morning that Jason Day was too ill to play so he had bagged an alternate spot.

He made the cut right on the number on Friday and is now right in the thick of the action going down the stretch!

At two over for his round, overnight leader JJ Spaun could do with finding his best golf on the par-five ninth.

He's plenty more conservative than Rory McIlroy - he's not a 299-yard flusher with a wood - and goes to lay up 50 yards short of the green.

In the rough though, so he'll need decent short game to get a birdie from here.

Historically, the back nine is Rory McIlroy's at TPC Sawgrass.

Before yesterday, he was 20 shots better than anyone else over those nine holes since 2013 at -56.

OK, before anyone gets too excited, he navigated them in two over par on Saturday - but if he can lean on his muscle memory of the past decade, there's a real chance for him to seize control.

Zane Scotland
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Being in contention on the back nine is great preparation for Rory heading into the majors season.

It's an OK chip from Rory McIlroy as he leaves himself 10 feet for birdie, but he's stunned as his putt just moves left and fails to drop.

His putter does drop to the floor as he shakes his head, hands on knees, trying to figure out how that missed.

Still, he's three under for his round, 11 under for the tournament and tied for the lead - and he's pretty hand on the back nine at Sawgrass...

Image source, Getty Images

He's a wiry figure is Akshay Bhatia - more meat on a butcher's pencil as the saying goes - but he can give the ball a serious belt with the speed he has in his swing.

And despite being just 23 and in his third season on the PGA Tour he's already won twice so knows how to get the job done.

Make no mistake, as he smashes a driver off the 10th tee, he's in this to win it.

An immediate chance for Collin Morikawa to wrestle back that bogey as he bends over 15 feet for birdie at the par-four 15th.

It's good pace but the line is not quite right and he remains seven under par.

Rory McIlroy heaves a fairway wood from 299 yards out on the ninth, and pretty much carries it 299 yards!

That bad thing is that's just too far and it rumbles on over the back of the green, so this will be a tricky little short game test if he wants a birdie to round out his front nine.

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Lovely birdie four to finish off the front nine for Akshay Bhatia - who plays the par five beautifully, laying up to 64 yards then hitting a pitch to 12 feet and letting his putter do the rest.

Bhatia claims a share of the lead alongside Rory McIlroy.

A few minutes ago, Rory McIlroy became only the second player today to make birdie at the brutally long eighth hole.

In the final group, co-leader JJ Spaun has left himself 19 feet just to save par at this hole.

And he's not going to manage it, despite a great attempt.

McIlroy in front by himself!

Collin Morikawa misses a 12 footer for par at 14 so drops back to seven under, four shots off the lead. That's probably his race run now unless he pulls out a frantic finish.

Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent at Sawgrass

Is it reaching the point where it's McIlroy's to lose, level with Spaun, coming down the stretch?

Scottie Scheffler has had to wait 11 holes for a first birdie of his round. That doesn't happen often.

It cancels the bogey he made at eight but at just five under par, the world number one is not a factor today.

Watch him make five birdies and an eagle in his final seven holes now...

Image source, Getty Images

Tom Hoge is not going away is he? He's recovered from the bogey on 11 with a nice birdie on 13 courtesy of a beautifully struck iron shot on the par three.

Pure quality from Hoge.

Zane Scotland
Former European Tour player on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

It wasn't an overly-exciting leaderboard when I looked at it last night but Rory was lurking and we wanted him to make the fast start he has.

Patrick Cantlay puts one foot on the ladder to getting back into contention as a fine chip out of the thick rough hands him a tiddling birdie putt at the ninth.

Four shots behind as he makes the turn.

He'll probably need the leaders to come back to him though - and there are plenty of others between him and the top.