Rory McIlroy leads as PGA Tour suspends play at TPC Sawgrass due to lightning

The PGA Tour has suspended play at TPC Sawgrass due to lightning approaching the Jacksonville area.

Right before the horn sounded, Rory McIlroy drained a 13-footer for birdie on the par-5 11th hole to grab the solo lead at 12-under par. He then rifled a long-iron down the middle of the fairway on the par-4 12th, his last swing before the stoppage.

McIlroy, of course, is eyeing his second Players Championship title in six years. He last conquered TPC Sawgrass in 2019, when he shot a final round 70 to eclipse Jim Furyk by one.

This year, McIroy began the final round trailing J.J. Spaun by four shots. But McIlroy quickly erased that deficit with an opening birdie on the 1st hole and then a remarkable eagle three on the par-5 2nd. He laced a 4-iron from 231 yards out that landed 10 feet away and converted his eagle try.

Spaun, meanwhile, began the day at 12-under and blinked for the first time at the challenging par-4 5th. He failed to get up-and-down to save par, which dropped him back to 11-under and into a tie for the lead with McIlroy and Akshay Bhatia for the time being. Spaun dropped another shot on the par-3 8th, but then gained that stroke right back with a birdie on the par-5 9th. His birdie on the 9th came thanks to a stroke of luck. Spaun’s third shot landed in the moguls beside the green, but he was standing on a sprinkler head, so he received relief. Spaun then took a drop, but his ball came to rest on another sprinkler head, which granted him further relief. He ultimately dropped in the fairway and got up-and-down from there for his four.

Sitting one stroke behind Spaun at 10-under is Bhatia, who held a share of the 36-hole lead, and Danny Walker, who began the day at 7-under par and five back of Spaun. Tom Hoge is also at 10-under, as the former TCU Horned Frog has a birdie putt on the par-4 18th to post 11-under when play resumes. Hoge is 6-under for the day, which is currently tied for the best round of the day at TPC Sawgrass.

Jacksonville native Bud Cauley is at 9-under and 2-over par for the day thus far.

Full scores at the time of the suspension follow below:

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.