Simpson extends Players lead to 7 shots

Simpson struggled somewhat in playing the 14th through the 16th in one-over.

And a par at the last meant Simpson had to be satisfied with becoming the seventh player to shoot 63 in the Players Championship, the 32-year-old’s 15 under par total also equalling the 36-hole scoring record. Simpson started his round with a birdie at the first, and added birdies at the 4th and the 9th to make the turn at 2-under par for his day. He hit his fifth shot to the green and had a one-putt for a bogey on the par-5 ninth. He striped a driver off the first tee then stuck a sand wedge to 15 feet below the hole, and hit a attractive right-to-left putt that fell right into the center of the hole.

Former world number one and 2016 victor Jason Day recorded a five-under-par 67 to be seven shots adrift of Simpson.

“It leads into the rest of the game. It’s so hot, it’s playing short and the greens are receptive”.

“Well I won’t be by end of the day, but it’s nice to kind of somewhat be up there”.

Danny Lee (-12) – A couple of late birdies actually had him within six of the lead after trailing by as much as nine at one point in Round 3.

“I’m 15-under through two days here, which is a lot lower than I ever would have expected to be”, he said. Simpson capped his round by making an 18-footer for par. “Today was a little more survival feeling”. – When Webb Simpson was walking down the 16th fairway of the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on Friday, a fan yelled a two-digit number from the gallery that confused Simpson’s caddie, Paul Tesori. “He’s beating the field by what, eight shots?” The good news for Simpson? I hit a lot of good shots today. But I’m on the right path now and I really just wanted a weekend tee time here. Only a disastrous final round stands between him and the second-biggest victory of his career. He’ll need a 5-under 67 on Sunday to tie it and a 6-under 66 to break it.

Some member’s bounces have certainly gone Simpson’s way this week, but his statistical dominance is every bit as impressive as those red numbers on the leaderboard.

This Saturday was always about Sunday. The answers, respectively, are “massive” and “nobody”. Here’s a look at a few of them. He shot 71 and missed by two shots.

“The most entertaining golf in our group was watching Webb’s score”, said Justin Rose, who played behind Simpson and shot 72. “I didn’t make many birdies”. “We were talking about it throughout the round, all three of us”.

Ian Poulter also deserves a mention in dispatches.

Woods and Spieth will play alongside each other over the final round, with Woods delighted after his lowest score by three shots this year.

Simpson left them all in his wake.