Ludvig Aberg's 3-Stroke Magic Highlights Tournament Triumph!

Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. — Sweden's Ludvig Aberg, in pursuit of a third PGA Tour title and the biggest victory of his career, maintained ice-cool composure as he increased his overnight lead to three shots in the third round of The Players Championship on Saturday. The 26-year-old, whose most recent victory came at last year's Genesis Invitational, for the most part played ultra-disciplined golf as he carded a 1-under-par 71 on another sun-splashed afternoon at TPC Sawgrass.

Aberg's most frustrating moment of the day came at the par-4 18th where he surprisingly ran up a bogey after three-putting from 25 feet, this following a missed birdie opportunity from just 8 feet at the iconic par-3 17th. "I definitely would have loved to come out of 16, 17 with at least one birdie, and the 3-putt on 18 kind of stings, annoys me a little bit," the Swede said after finishing with a 13-under total of 203 in the PGA Tour's flagship event. "But overall, I started the day with a two-shot lead and ended with a three, so that's a positive for sure.

But Sawgrass tomorrow is going to be a challenge. It's all about executing, and you're going to get punished if you don't, which is a fun way to play golf. " Aberg will head into Sunday's final round three strokes in front of American Michael Thorbjornsen, a former college friend and fellow resident in the Jacksonville area who reeled off five birdies, an eagle and two bogeys en route to a 67.

Cameron Young was alone in third at 9-under after recording a 72 while fellow Americans Brian Harman (69), Xander Schauffele (74) and Justin Thomas (72), England's Matt Fitzpatrick (69), Viktor Hovland of Norway (69) and Canada's Corey Conners (72) were a stroke further back in a six-way tie for fourth. Ponte Vedra Beach resident Aberg had been two ahead overnight and made a slow start to the round, bogeying the par-4 fourth after finding the right rough off the tee and doing well to save par at the fifth where he sank a 13-foot putt after being bunkered off the tee. Three more pars followed before he got up and down from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-5 ninth and stretch his lead to three shots.