Former Baylor School standout Keith Mitchell tracks his shot on the third hole at TPC Sawgrass during the third round of The Players Championship on Saturday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
Former Baylor School standout Luke List surveys his putt on the second hole at TPC Sawgrass during the third round of The Players Championship on Saturday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.- Jon Rahm couldn't think of a shot he missed Saturday in his round of 8-under-par 64 that took him from five strokes behind to one ahead of Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy in The Players Championship.
The one bogey he made stood out for two reasons.
The execution was nearly perfect, of course, a sand-wedge shot onto the No. 6 green that tracked the flag and landed next to the pin, except that the ball took a hard bounce and rolled over the back of the putting surface. His reaction to a potential birdie turning into bogey spoke to the calm Rahm feels these days, even on a course designed to fray nerves.
There was no visible frustration, only more great golf.
"I've been working so hard on the mental aspect of my game, trying to keep myself in check a little more," said Rahm, a 24-year-old Spaniard who has been known for being so full of passion. "And I think that has been the key this week. I've been so balanced - nothing like I used to be, nothing like before. I've been really proud of how I've been handling myself.
"And hopefully tomorrow, it shows how different it has been."
Rahm surged ahead with a 30 on the back nine of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, sparked by a 4-iron shot that put the ball three feet from the par-5 11th hole to set up an eagle, as well as a wedge shot that led to the ball stopping two feet behind the hole to a front pin on the tricky par-3 17th for a tap-in birdie.
He was at 15-under 201 overall, enough for his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour - and enough to keep Fleetwood and McIlroy from catching him.
"Didn't miss many shots out there," said Rahm, who is 10th in the World Golf Ranking. "Really, really confident with my irons. Every time I stepped up, I felt like I was going to hit a good shot."
Jason Day (68) was fourth at 12 under, with Abraham Ancer (70) another stroke back in fifth. There was a crowd in sixth at 10 under, including top-ranked Dustin Johnson (69).
Former Baylor School standouts Luke List and Keith Mitchell were in the top 10 after Friday's second round, but both lost ground Saturday. Mitchell (75) was tied for 32nd at 5 under, with List (75) another stroke back and tied for 39th.
Fleetwood and McIlroy struggled from the start, but both eventually recovered, McIlroy sooner than Fleetwood, with each finishing with a 70 that left him in excellent shape to capture the PGA Tour's signature event.
McIlroy muffed a chip and had to scramble for bogey on the opening hole, hit a chip over the green on the par-5 second and turned potential birdie into bogey, and that was as bad as it got. He was still under par at the turn by running off three birdies, including a 4-iron shot to a foot from the eighth hole, the hardest par 3 on the course.
After a two-putt birdie on the par-5 11th, though, McIlroy's chances dried up. Even on the par-5 16th, where he tried a low runner from the pine trees, the ball came out so hot it ran through the green and into the water.
Still, he was bogey-free over the last 16 holes and he can at least avoid questions about winning from the final group, something McIlroy hasn't done in his past nine chances dating to the start of 2018. Fleetwood will play with Rahm, who already has six worldwide victories in just short of three years as a professional golfer.
"I just need to hit fairways and greens," McIlroy said. "If I can do that and take the opportunities I give myself, hopefully I can turn tomorrow into the best Sunday of the year so far."
Fleetwood missed a 30-inch putt on the opening hole and made a double bogey, and he fell three shots behind through seven holes. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 8 after McIlroy tapped in for his birdie, then picked up four birdies where they were available.
"Didn't have my swing today like I've had for the first two days, and really struggled with that early on," Fleetwood said. "The good thing about it was how good I was mentally, the character I showed. I was stuck in there on one of the toughest golf courses we play and managed to get an under-par round out of it when I didn't really feel comfortable all day."
Tiger Woods was five shots better on the par-3 17th - he made a quadruple bogey on Friday but delivered a two-foot birdie putt on Saturday - yet he still started so slowly that even a late run of birdies was only good for a 72. He was 12 shots behind in his last stroke-play event before the Masters, the year's first major.