Two Aussies in top three at Players Champs as course record smashed, epic ace stuns

Aussie Min Woo Lee has delivered one of the finest rounds of his career to surge to second place at the Players Championship ahead of the final round, going toe-to-toe with world number two Scottie Scheffler in a thrilling day.

Records tumbled at TPC Sawgrass as the notoriously difficult course served up remarkably friendly conditions, in stark contrast to the brutal winds that caused havoc in the opening two rounds. A stunning 15 players shot five-under 67s or better, including a new course record 10-under 62.

24-year-old Lee, who has never won on the PGA Tour and is making his Players debut, shot a six-under 66 in a near-flawless performance, marred only by a bogey on the 18th and final hole.

He sits 12-under overall, two shots behind American and 2022 Masters winner Scheffler. Scheffler struck six birdies plus an eagle to go with just one bogey in a seven-under 65.

But Lee isn’t the only Australian in contention for the $4.5m USD ($A6.84m) winner’s paycheck at golf’s unofficial fifth major, with 28-year-old Cam Davis surging to third place at 10-under overall on the back of a 67.

Players took full advantage of the comfortable course conditions with a host of stunning shots - none better than Justin Thomas with a hole-out eagle on the 18th from 146 yards.

Tommy Fleetwood surged into third with a seven-under 65, the same as Aaron Rai - who also hit a brilliant ace on the iconic 17th. It was the second ace of the weekend at the Island Green, the first time that has ever happened in tournament history. It was also his first ace on the PGA Tour.

Having just made the cut, Tom Hoge then smashed the course record with a ten-under 62, racking up birdie after birdie to move to eight-under overall. It was a remarkable turnaround after hitting an opening-round 78.

Min Woo Lee - younger brother of Minjee Lee, a top-five women’s golfer with two majors to boot - began his day with a brilliant eagle on the first hole, holing out from 112 yards.

That was just the start of a sensational round, showcasing his clutch putting and iron play in equal measure as he eyes the biggest win of his career.

Lee added a clutch 34-foot par for birdie on the fourth, picked up another birdie on the sixth, and nailed the par-five ninth hole to pick up another birdie on the back of his exceptional iron play.

He needed a moment of magic on the 10th hole to keep his card clean, scrambling out of a horrible lie among plants in the rough to give himself a chance at par - which he duly nailed with a confident and perfectly-paced putt.

His tee shot on the 11th found the bunker, but he somehow still managed to pick up a birdie on the par-five hole, and continued his brilliant run the following hole with yet another birdie.

Lee survived a scare on the 17th but finally slipped up on the final hole of the day, the tricky par-four 18th, giving back a shot after missing a seven-foot par attempt.

Rai was full of praise for the young Australian, saying after his third round: “He’s a great, great player. Great attitude, as well, which I think is just as powerful as his game. He doesn’t have a weakness. I think he’s going to be a star out here on the PGA Tour in the coming years.”

Cam Davis made par on the first nine holes before going par-eagle on the 10th and 11th to rapidly surge to four off the lead.

His eagle was a brilliant chip-in, and he continued his strong day with pars until the 17th, where he managed a birdie to move to four under for the round and nine under overall.

But it was mere inches away from a memorable ace, with the whole crowd and Davis himself believing the ball was going to roll in.

He concluded his brilliant back nine with a birdie on the 18th to card a five-under 67, putting him four shots behind Scheffler and two behind his countryman Lee.

Fellow Australian and 2016 Players champ Jason Day was also in the hunt early in the third round, picking up three birdies in his first 12 holes. But things tailed off from there, with a bogey on the par-three 13th and par-five 16th. He picked up a brilliant chip-in birdie on the 17th to card a two-under 70, moving him to six-under overall in a tie for 14th - but still eight shots off the lead.

Earlier, a host of players needed to complete their second rounds which were paused yesterday due to storms.

But when the third round action began there was disaster for the overnight leader, American underdog Chad Ramey. He ended up with a quadruple bogey seven on the iconic Island Green 17th hole, falling off the lead quickly. But he rebounded impressively to move to four-under for the round through 12 holes, leaving him currently three shots off the lead.

And 56-year-old Jerry Kelly became the oldest man in history to make the cut, and was given roars of support as he made his way around the course – especially when he nailed his tee shot on the 17th to give him a birdie chance.