Kim Si-woo successfully turned his momentum around heading into the final round of The Players Championship, the PGA Tour event often called "the fifth major" with a $25 million purse.
Kim carded a 4-under-par 68 in the third round at TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course (par 72) in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Friday, recording six birdies and two bogeys. His three-round total of 3-under-par 213 placed him in a tie for 33rd, climbing 18 spots from his previous position of tied for 51st. This marked Kim's first under-par round of the tournament after shooting 73 and 72 in the opening two rounds. Depending on his final-round performance, Kim remains in contention for a top-20 finish, sitting just two strokes behind the group tied for 19th.
Playing alongside world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, Kim traded two birdies for two bogeys on the front nine but delivered a clean back nine with four birdies. He was particularly sharp down the stretch, collecting three birdies over the final four holes from 15 through 18. On the par-4 15th, he stuck his approach to 1.5 meters, while on the par-5 16th, his third shot landed 60 centimeters from the pin for an easy birdie. He closed with a converted 3-meter birdie putt on 18.
Ludvig Åberg of Sweden maintained his lead for the second consecutive day, strengthening his bid for victory. After a 9-under second round, Åberg added 1-under-par on Saturday with an eagle, a birdie, and two bogeys. At 13-under-par, he holds a three-stroke advantage over second-place Michael Thorbjornsen. Should the world No. 21 claim victory, he would become the first player ranked outside the top 10 to win this event since Webb Simpson in 2018.
Cameron Young sits alone in third at 9-under-par, while six players including 2021 champion Justin Thomas, Xander Schauffele, and Viktor Hovland share fourth at 8-under-par. Scheffler is tied for 26th at 4-under-par, and defending champion Rory McIlroy is tied for 57th at 1-over-par.