Ludvig Aberg leads the Players Championship ahead of the final round at Sawgrass

Aberg said he was ready to take on the challenge of trying to wrap up what would be the biggest win of his career in the $25m (£18.9m) PGA Tour main event.

“I think about winning a lot,” he said. “I think a lot about what it’s going to look like, what it’s going to feel like. I think a lot about different scenarios that could happen. I did it in college, I did it when I turned pro and I still do it.”

“I’m trying to accept that. We spend a lot of time preparing, so why not think about what winning actually means.

“So naturally that’s what I’m going to do [on Saturday evening]. But does it change anything for me [on Sunday]? i don’t think so.

“I’ll definitely be nervous. I’ve been nervous for the past three days. Anyone who says they don’t feel nervous isn’t really being honest with themselves.”

It looked like Aberg would have a four-shot advantage going into the final round after he hit his second shot on the 18th 25 feet from the hole.

But he overshot his birdie putt and failed to hit a seven-foot putt for par as he made a rare error.

It was just the second bogey of the round — and third of the tournament — for the Swede, who lives locally and calls Sawgrass home.

“The 18 threes really bothered me, but I started the day with two and finished with three, so that’s a positive,” he said.

The highlight of his round was a par-5 three-downwind eagle on the par-5 11th. He launched his second shot from 238 yards to 17 feet before punting.

This moved Aberg out of fourth place but he was unable to build on that momentum as his rivals jockeyed for position behind him.