By John Strege

One-fourth of the victorious 2018 European Ryder Cup team—Jon Rahm of Spain, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Tommy Fleetwood of England—occupy the top three spots on the leader board through 54 holes of the Players Championship.

Rahm had the best round at the TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., on Saturday, an eight-under-par 64 to take a one-stroke lead over McIlroy and Fleetwood. Rahm, a 54-hole leader on the PGA Tour for the first time, included a back nine of six-under 30.

“It was a great day,” Rahm, No. 10 in the World Ranking, said. “Didn’t miss many shots out there. The only bogey today I made was at six, and it was after a good shot that landed a foot from the hole. So it was one of those days. Really, really confident with my irons. Every time I stepped up I thought I felt like I was going to hit a good shot.”

McIlroy, sixth in the World Ranking, overcame a bogey-bogey start and a water ball at the par-5 16th hole to post a two-under 70 to give himself yet another Sunday opportunity to win.

“ In a good position, not the best position I could be in, but I thought after the start today that to play the last 16 holes in four under with no bogeys was a good effort,” he said.

Fleetwood, 13th in the World Ranking, double-bogeyed the first hole, but hung in to grind out a two-under 70.

“Golf is a difficult game and all of a sudden I turned up today and was hitting it nowhere as good. I could feel that in my rhythm. It was just a grind.”

None of the top five on the leader board is Americans. Australian Jason Day is alone in fourth, three back, and Mexico’s Abraham Ancer is in fifth, four off the lead.

The low Americans, in a six-way tie for sixth and five back, are Ollie Schniederjans, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson and Brian Harman.