Rahm surges into the lead with a 64

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — Jon Rahm felt like every shot would be good and most of them were Saturday as he posted an eight-under-par 64 and built a one-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood in the Players Championship.

Five shots behind going into the third round, Rahm shot 30 on the back nine at TPC Sawgrass and surged into the lead when McIlroy and Fleetwood couldn’t keep pace. His only bogey was on the sixth hole, and even that landed next to the pin until running over the back.

“Didn’t miss many shots out there,” Rahm said. “Really, really confident with my irons. Every time I stepped up, I felt like I was going to hit a good shot.”

There were too many to single out for the 24-year-old Spaniard, who was at 15under 201.

“This is what I called earlier a midterm of hopefully a very good final project,” Rahm said.

McIlroy and Fleetwood struggled from the start and both eventually recovered, McIlroy sooner than Fleetwood.

McIlroy muffed a chip and had to scramble for bogey on the opening hole, hit a chip over the green on the par-fove second hole and turned potential birdie into bogey, and that was as bad as it got. He still was under par at the turn by running off three birdies, including a four-iron to a foot on the hardest par-three on the course at No. 8.

But after a two-putt birdie on the par-five 11th, McIlroy’s chances dried up. Even on the par-five 16th, he tried a low runner out of the pine trees and it came out so hot that it ran through the green and into the water.

Even so, he was bogeyfree over the last 16 holes and shot 70. And he can at least avoid questions about winning from the final group, something McIlroy hasn’t done in his last nine occasions dating to the start of 2018.

“I just need to hit fairways and greens. 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,” McIlroy said.

Fleetwood missed a 30inch putt on the opening hole and took 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.