The PGA Tour has suspended play at TPC Sawgrass as a consequence of lightning approaching the Jacksonville space.
Proper earlier than the horn sounded, Rory McIlroy drained a 13-footer for birdie on the par-5 eleventh gap to seize the solo lead at 12-under par. He then rifled a long-iron down the center of the golf green on the par-4 twelfth, his final swing earlier than the stoppage.
McIlroy, in fact, is eyeing his second Gamers Championship title in six years. He final conquered TPC Sawgrass in 2019, when he shot a closing spherical 70 to eclipse Jim Furyk by one.
This 12 months, McIroy started the closing spherical trailing J.J. Spaun by 4 photographs. However McIlroy rapidly erased that deficit with a gap birdie on the first gap after which a outstanding eagle three on the par-5 2nd. He laced a 4-iron from 231 yards out that landed 10 ft away and transformed his eagle attempt.
Spaun, in the meantime, started the day at 12-under and blinked for the primary time on the difficult par-4 fifth. He didn’t get up-and-down to avoid wasting par, which dropped him again to 11-under and right into a tie for the lead with McIlroy and Akshay Bhatia in the meanwhile. Spaun dropped one other shot on the par-3 eighth, however then gained that stroke proper again with a birdie on the par-5 ninth. His birdie on the ninth got here due to a stroke of luck. Spaun’s third shot landed within the moguls beside the inexperienced, however he was standing on a sprinkler head, so he obtained aid. Spaun then took a drop, however his ball got here to relaxation on one other sprinkler head, which granted him additional aid. He in the end dropped within the fairway and acquired up-and-down from there for his 4.
Sitting one stroke behind Spaun at 10-under is Bhatia, who held a share of the 36-hole lead, and Danny Walker, who started the day at 7-under par and 5 again of Spaun. Tom Hoge can be at 10-under, as the previous TCU Horned Frog has a birdie putt on the par-4 18th to publish 11-under when play resumes. Hoge is 6-under for the day, which is at the moment tied for the very best spherical of the day at TPC Sawgrass.
Jacksonville native Bud Cauley is at 9-under and 2-over par for the day so far.
Full scores on the time of the suspension comply with beneath:
1. Rory McIlroy -12 (11)
2. J.J. Spaun -11 (10)
T3. Akshay Bhatia -10 (12)
T3. Danny Walker -10 (12)
T3. Tom Hoge -10 (17)
6. Bud Cauley -9 (10)
T7. Robert MacIntyre -8 (14)
T7. Jake Knapp -8 (13)
T7. Patrick Cantlay -8 (12)
T7. Alex Smalley -8 (11)
T7. Corey Conners -8 (11)
T12. Lucas Glover -7 (10)
T12. Collin Morikawa -7 — 70-65-77-69
T12. Daniel Berger -7 (16)
Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Enjoying Via. Observe him on X @jack_milko.
