Ludvig Aberg is heading into the final round with a 3-shot lead, but he is refusing to ignore the mistakes that nearly derailed his momentum. As he prepares to face a charging field, Aberg is more concerned with his finish on the eighteenth hole than the history he is on the verge of making.

“Yeah, a little bit of both, I guess. I definitely would have loved to come out of 16 and 17 with at least one birdie, and then obviously the 3-putt on 18 kind of stings and annoys me a little bit,” Aberg told the media when asked whether he was pleased with the lead or frustrated by his finish.

Despite his dominance, Aberg’s third round was marred by missed opportunities. He started with a two-shot cushion but stumbled early with a bogey on the par-4 4th. His drive unfortunately found the right rough. He appeared out of sorts until a clutch 13-foot par save on the 5th stabilized his round. He found his rhythm around the turn, holing a 7-foot birdie putt on the 9th to reach even par for the day. Then on the par-5 11th, he eagled with a 17 ft. putt. However, the momentum stalled in the final stretch:

Despite having a 7-iron in hand from 195 yards in the fairway, he failed to capitalize on the chance and settled for par on the par-5 16th. Then on the infamous Island Green, he struck a precise tee shot to 8 feet but missed the birdie attempt once again. On the final hole of the day, after a perfect drive, he hit his approach to 25 feet but suffered a careless three-putt bogey, with his second miss coming from just 8 feet.

Thankfully for Aberg, the rest of the field also struggled during a windy Saturday. Xander Schauffele entered the day only two shots back but hit only eight greens in regulation. He carded just one birdie and finished with a two-over seventy-four to drop back. The two-time major winner now sits five shots behind Aberg going into Sunday.

The 2021 champion, Justin Thomas, saw his chances dim early with an ugly triple bogey. He went from the water to the rough and then flew over the green. He fought back to save a seventy-two but still trails the lead by five shots. Cameron Young also fumbled when he hooked his final drive into the deep water. He carded a double bogey and finished his round four shots behind the Swedish star.

The main reason Aberg still holds the lead is his historic sixty-three from the second round. He played the first four holes for five under par and even tied the front-nine record with a 29 after chipping in for eagle from just outside a bunker on the 9th hole. He finished just one stroke shy of the all-time course record.

Still, Sunday at the Stadium Course always brings drama, as history shows that leading after fifty-four holes does not always mean you will win the trophy. Aberg is only the seventh player since 1982 to hold a lead of three or more strokes entering the final round, but only half of the previous six successfully converted those leads into wins. The Swede knows the challenge.

“Overall, I started the day with a two-shot lead and ended with a three, so that’s a positive for sure. But yeah, Sawgrass tomorrow will be a challenge. As I said before, it’s all about executing; you’re going to get punished if you don’t, which is a fun way to play golf,” Aberg said.

And as in the past, while Aberg holds the lead, several other stars are fighting back with everything they have.

Who can catch Ludvig Aberg on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass?

Michael Thorbjornsen shot a brilliant 5-under 67 to move into second place. His round was highlighted by an eagle on the 11th, where he hit a 242-yard approach to within 1 foot. He made the cut on the number after a stressful opening 74, followed by a 65 on Friday. 

The 24-year-old neighbor of Aberg has been close to victory before, notably finishing T3 at the WM Phoenix Open this year after leading with three holes to play. If Thorbjornsen wins from three shots back, it would be his first career PGA Tour win. And he would become only the third player ever, and the first since Craig Perks in 2002, to win the fifth major in his first attempt.

Several others who can catch Aberg on the final day are Cameron Young (-9), Xander Schauffele (-8), Viktor Hovland (-8), Justin Thomas (-8), and Matt Fitzpatrick (-8).

Nobody knows what’s going to happen, but if Aberg wins, it will be a story of a lifetime for him!