Ludvig Aberg heads into Players Championship final round with lead

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla.— The Players Championship is Ludvig Åberg’s to lose.Given his otherworldly talent at such a young age, being on the precipice of winning a tournament with the prestige of the Players is exactly the place he’s been expected to be for the past couple of years.The 26-year-old Åberg has won just twice to date, the last being last year’s Genesis Invitational.But a win at TPC Sawgrass in the “fifth major’’ would send him into a different stratosphere of stardom.Åberg, who followed his second-round 63 with 71 on Saturday, will take a three-shot lead into Sunday’s final round.“I didn’t play amazing, but I got a little bit out of it, which was nice,’’ Åberg said.He said he’s unafraid of thinking about how big a win would be Sunday.“I think about winning and what it would look like and what it would feel like,’’ Åberg said.

“I’m trying to embrace it, being OK with all the things that come with it.Why wouldn’t we think of what it would mean to win? Winning here tomorrow would mean a lot to me.“I’ll be nervous,’’ he conceded.

“I’ve been nervous the last three days.It’s a part of it.

It’ll be a challenge for sure sleeping on a lead at a place I really like and have a lot of family and friends.But that’s also what’s so fun.’’Michael Thorbjornsen vaulted himself to 10-under and within three of Åberg with a 5-under-par 67. Åberg and Thorbjornsen, who’ll be paired together in the final round, have played a lot of college golf together. “Michael also lives here in the area and we play some golf together while we’re both home,’’ Åberg said.

“When we were in college, it felt like we played every single tournament together.He’ll be coming in hot and I’m going to have to respond and play some good golf.’’Thorbjornsen said he “loves’’ playing golf with Åberg. “He was one of the guys in college that I looked up to, even though he’s only one year older than me...