Åberg, who began the day at 13-under par, shot a 4-over 76 to finish in a tie for fifth at 9-under.
Ludvig Aberg of Sweden watches his shot from the seventh tee during the final round of The Players Championship on March 15, 2026. Getty Images
“Obviously really disappointed,’’ Åberg said afterward. “Obviously, today the back nine was not good, but that’s the way it goes sometimes. It got away from me quick there. It was just poor swings.’’
After his round on Saturday Åberg said he was going to embrace thinking about winning, and he also said he expected to feel nervous.
“You’re always going to feel nerves,’’ he said. “I definitely felt nerves this morning, I felt nerves yesterday and I felt nerves on Thursday and Friday as well.’’
Rory McIlroy’s Players Championship title defense was a dud. He began very much in question because of a back injury he suffered the previous week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
McIlroy, ranked No. 2 in the world and the defending Players and Masters champion, was forced to withdraw from the API at Bay Hill right before his third round last Saturday.
