As the final round of The Players Championship entered its final stretch on Sunday, the PGA Tour’s hopes of avoiding inclement weather were dashed as play was suspended just over halfway through Round 4. Rory McIlroy, holding a one-shot lead at 12 under par, found himself in a comfortable position before the horn sounded at 1:15 p.m. ET due to lightning. Play is set to resume at 5:15 p.m. ET, allowing for enough sunlight to complete the tournament before darkness sets in.
Check out the current leaderboard:
(holes played)
1. Rory McIlroy -12 (11)
2. J.J. Spaun -11 (10)
T3. Tom Hoge -10 (17)
T3. Akshay Bhatia -10 (12)
T3. Danny Walker -10 (12)
6. Bud Cauly -9 (10)
Due to the anticipated weather conditions, tee times were rescheduled for early Sunday morning, with the leaders teeing off around 10 a.m. ET.
McIlroy, starting the round four strokes back, quickly gained ground with a birdie and an eagle in the first two holes. Another birdie at the 11th hole propelled him into the solo lead.
Despite holding the third-round lead, Spaun struggled to find his rhythm and only managed to card one birdie at the ninth, offsetting two bogeys in the process.
Meanwhile, Hoge delivered an impressive performance, going 6-under for the round with a potential birdie opportunity at the 18th awaiting him when play resumes.
The biggest surprise of the tournament is Walker, a former Korn Ferry Tour player who only entered the competition as the first alternate after Jason Day withdrew. Despite the last-minute entry, Walker made the cut and shot a remarkable 6-under 66 on Saturday to position himself as a contender.