Rory McIlroy slipped four shots off the lead after a punishing back nine in blustery conditions during round three at The Players Championship.
The 2019 champion carded a one-over 73 to trail unheralded American JJ Spaun who leads at 12 under, one ahead of tour veteran Bud Cauley.
McIlroy was at 10 under after nine holes at Sawgrass’ iconic Stadium Course but struggled on the second nine, dropping shots at the 12th, 13th and 17th holes as well as missing a presentable birdie chance on the par-five 16th.
He did, however, birdie the last to remain in touch amid loud roars from the fans surrounding the 18th green.
“I felt like I played better than I scored,” said McIlroy. “I left a lot out there but at the same time I am not too far away.”
As for Spaun, he showed admirable composure throughout his round, including an outstanding par putt from 25 feet on the final hole when he seemed to be faltering, after bogeying the 17th.
At one stage, there were seven players within one shot of the lead, but the gusting winds made scoring tough.
Cauley was among the few to make a significant upwards move, carding the joint best score of that day with a six-under 66 to reach 11 under.
He is two ahead of 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover, who chipped in three times during a rollercoaster round of 71. His final chip-in was for an eagle on the par-five 16th, but that was sandwiched by double bogeys on the 15th and 17th, the latter after finding water off the tee on the notoriously tricky ‘island hole’.
Overnight joint leader Akshay Bhatia is alongside McIlroy on eight under, his gutsy two-over 74 ensuring he remains in contention going into Sunday. Canada’s Corey Conners is also on that number, after shooting a 66 much earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, world number one Scottie Scheffler was uncharacteristically irritable during his level-par round of 72 that left him at five under. He threw his ball into the water after a three-putt bogey on the 17th, and then angrily chucked his club at his golf bag after another mistake on the last.
With play already brought forward on Sunday to avoid forecast storms, Scheffler will need a remarkable round to secure an unprecedented third straight title at TPC Sawgrass.
The leaders will head out around 14:00 GMT and BBC Sport will have live radio and text commentary of the final round.
