Summary

  • Round three leaderboard (external website), external

  • Leader: -12 Spaun (70)

  • Selected: -11 Cauley (66); -9 Glover (71), Smalley (72)

  • -8 McIlroy (73), Bhatia (75), Conners (66); -5 MacIntyre (72), Scheffler (72); -4 Fleetwood (75)

  • Use the 'listen live' icon at the of the page for BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary

  1. See you Sundaypublished at 23:39 Greenwich Mean Time

    The Players Championship trophyImage source, Getty Images

    It's shaping up to be an intriguing finish to the Players Championship on Sunday, with JJ Spaun a surprise leader but only by a shot.

    We've got Bud Cauley looking to make a remarkable comeback, and former US Open champion and now veteran Lucas Glover looking to become the oldest Players winner for over two decades.

    Rory McIlroy is four back so well in touch, and with the weather again providing a tough test absolutely anything could happen.

    So make sure you join us on Sunday, a bit earlier than usual as the leaders go out at 14:00 GMT, for the final round of the 2025 Players Championship.

  2. Early start on Sundaypublished at 23:35 Greenwich Mean Time

    With some bad weather due around Sawgrass on Sunday the final round will start earlier than planned, with the leaders going out at around 14:00 GMT.

    And we'll have live radio and text commentary on ther BBC website and app to bring you the conclusion of the Players Championship.

  3. Spaun 'has nothing to lose'published at 23:26 Greenwich Mean Time

    Spaun -12 (70)

    JJ SpaunImage source, Getty Images

    Leader JJ Spaun speaking to Sky Sports after taking a one-shot advantage into the final round: "I just tried my best to hit solid shots - that's all you can do this in this amount of wind. The majority of time I hit the fairways and if I did not, I scrambled really well and made some putts throughout the day, which was really key.

    On the plan for Sunday: "Just address it as another round. I know what's at stake - I've won on tour before. We have had the atmosphere of having nothing to lose and it's worked out really well so far.

    "We're going to keep that going tomorrow."

  4. Leaderboard after round threepublished at 23:25 Greenwich Mean Time

    JJ Spaun at the Players ChampionshipImage source, Getty Images
    • -12 JJ Spaun (70)
    • -11 B Cauley (66)
    • -9 L Glover (71)
    • -9 A Smalley (72)
    • -8 C Conners (66)
    • -8 R McIlroy (73)
    • -8 A Bhatia (75)

    Full leaderboard

  5. 'Played better than I scored'published at 23:20 Greenwich Mean Time

    McIlroy -8 (73)

    Rory McIlroyImage source, Getty Images

    Rory McIlroy speaking to Sky Sports after shooting a one-over 73: "I felt like I played better than I scored. Every dropped shot I felt were very soft.

    "I controlled my ball really well apart from that. It was just unfortunate that there were a couple of sloppy mistakes around the green.

    "I feel like I left a lot out there, but at the same time I am not too far away. It was nice to birdie the last at least.

    "Looks like tomorrow's going to be another tough day as well, so just knuckle down, get off to a fast start and try to get back some of those soft bogeys I made today."

  6. Bogey finish for Bhatiapublished at 23:12 Greenwich Mean Time

    Bhatia -8 (75) Lee -5 (78)

    Akshay Bhatia is woefully short on his first putt from 25 feet and leaves himself seven feet for par, which he misses for the most annoying three-putt bogey to drop back to eight under.

    Min Woo Lee finishes off a horrible day with a birdie at the last - his only one of the day - as he drains a putt from off the green to end with a 78.

  7. Birdie finish for Rorypublished at 23:04 Greenwich Mean Time

    McIlroy -8 (73), Spaun -12 (70)

    Rory McIlroyImage source, Getty Images

    Rory McIlroy finishes off in some style with a brilliant birdie on 18, to at least put a nice finish on a tough day at the office where ne never really got going.

    And considering some of the mistakes he made and the lack of positive energy he seemed to have, going around in just one over in this conditions isn;t actually a bad result.

  8. Spaun signs off in stylepublished at 23:02 Greenwich Mean Time

    McIlroy -7, Spaun -12 (70)

    JJ Spaun saves par in spactacular fashion as he holes his 24-foot putt to make his four on the last. It's slightly fortunate as the ball is really travelling and it does a loop-the-loop around the top of the cup before dropping in.

    That's a two-under round of 70 for our leader, who leads by just one shot heading into Sunday's final round.

  9. Postpublished at 23:00 Greenwich Mean Time

    Bhatia -9 (17)

    Akshay Bhatia pulls out the big dog on the last and hits a beauty, but the course is a lot firmer now than earlier and the ball just bounce on through the fairway into the pine straw.

  10. Postpublished at 22:57 Greenwich Mean Time

    Andrew Murray
    Former European Tour winner on 5 Live

    Rory hit his driving iron 312 yards down the last and it never looked like it was going anywhere near the water or the pine straw. I'm willing him to make this birdie putt.

  11. Fine finish from McIlroypublished at 22:57 Greenwich Mean Time

    McIlroy -7, Spaun -12 (17)

    The 18th might be the best hole Rory McIlroy has played today - he found a fairway for a start, just his fifth of the day, and than fires in a wonderful iron from 158 yards that ends up just about eigh feet short of the flag.

    JJ Spaun can't match that - he's on the green but much shorter than the Northern Irishman.

  12. Postpublished at 22:54 Greenwich Mean Time

    Bhatia -8 (16)

    Akshay Bhatia makes the green on 17, just pulled it a bit as a left hander but the distance is not bad at all and it's not too bad a two-putt from there.

  13. Bhatia birdiepublished at 22:49 Greenwich Mean Time

    Bhatia -9 (16)

    Akshay Bhatia is fighting hard down the 16th. An excellent drive is followed by a solid second that leaves him 28 feet from the hole for an eagle. No dice. But a kick-in birdie.

  14. Bogeyspublished at 22:47 Greenwich Mean Time

    McIlroy -7, Spaun -12 (17)

    Three-putt bogeys for both of this group, with both of them not hitting their first efforts anywhere near hard enough.

    JJ Spaun's second effort looks in all the way but just slides by the left edge as it ran out of gas.

    And you were never confident Rory McIlroy was going to hole his and entirely predictable that he made a four.

  15. Postpublished at 22:44 Greenwich Mean Time

    Smalley -10 (17)

    Alex Smalley's hopes of a birdie down the last are effectively ended by his tee shot. It leaks out right and he ends up in a popular spot, behind some trees and he can only squirt a low one 150 yards or so down the fairway.

  16. Par finish for Gloverpublished at 22:43 Greenwich Mean Time

    Glover -9 (71), Zalatoris -2 (78)

    Not to be for Lucas Glover who finishes with a par and a round of 71, which was rather steady away mostly but with some huge rollercoaster moments like three chip-ins and a bizarre three-hole stretch late on.

    Glover went double bogey-eagle-double bogey but finishes with a one-under round that sees him four shots off the current lead.

    Will Zalatories on the other hand has had a meltdown on the back nine, with a quadruple bogey and two doubles as he came home in 44 for a six-over round of 78.

    He was actually three under for 13 holes then lost nine shots over his closing five holes. Crazy stuff

  17. Postpublished at 22:41 Greenwich Mean Time

    Andrew Murray
    Former European Tour winner on 5 Live

    That is a treacherous putt for Rory because he's got the wind at his back and the hole is only three yards from the water. And he's going to give Spaun a great read. He just wants to get in the clubhouse now with a par-par finish.

  18. Both drypublished at 22:38 Greenwich Mean Time

    McIlroy -8, Spaun -13 (16)

    Both Rory McIlroy and JJ Spaun are safely on board the 17th green, but only just as they're way short of the flag and only just about on dry land - but dry is the main thing as we've seen plenty come unstuck recently as we near the end of the day with the wind still whipping around the Stadium Hole.

  19. Postpublished at 22:35 Greenwich Mean Time

    Glover -9, Zalatoris -3 (17)

    Stunner from Lucas Glover on the last, as he rips his iron from 180 yards down to about 12 feet for a closing birdie.

  20. Birdie!published at 22:32 Greenwich Mean Time

    McIlroy -8, Spaun -13 (16)

    JJ Spaun at the Players ChampionshipImage source, Getty Images

    Great birdie for leader JJ Spaun on 16 as he ends uppin high but off the green in three, and while a two-putt par would do n=him nice, the ball tracks straight and true through the fringe and is always going in as soon as it makes the green.

    Great response after just a second bogey of the day on the last.

    A much simpler, shorter chance for Rory McIlroy for his birdie, but his putt drifts wide tamely which just about sums up his day.