J.J. Spaun watched his 25-foot putt swirl 360 degrees around the cup and drop for par, a fitting end to a wild, windy, round-wrecking Saturday at The Players Championship that gave him a one-shot lead going into the final round of the richest tournament in golf.

The par gave Spaun a 2-under 70, the lowest score among the final 10 groups that teed off in a strong, steady wind with gusts up to 25 mph on a course that can be intimidating even when the conditions are calm.

Bud Cauley teed off two hours earlier and still faced a bulk of the wind. He finished with three birdies on his last four holes for a 66 to be in the final group.

For so many others — even those very much in the mix — it was a matter of hanging on for dear life. Lucas Glover had a 71 and finished with a double bogey on the 15th, an eagle by chipping in on the par-5 16th, and a double bogey with a tee shot that didn’t reach the island on the notorious par-3 17th.

“It’s pretty razor thin around here anyway,” Glover said. “And then you add in 25, 30 miles an hour with some gusts, it shrinks things even more. I did a good job where I was missing for the majority of the day, and there was a couple holes where you just can’t miss.”

Spaun was at 12-under 204, a stroke ahead of Cauley and three ahead of Glover and Alex Smalley.

Tennis

Indian Wells semis >> Jack Draper toppled two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz 6-1, 0-6, 6-4 on Saturday to reach the BNP Paribas Open final.

The 13th-seeded Draper will face 12th-seeded Holger Rune today. Rune beat fifth-seeded Daniil Medvedev 7-6, 6-4 in the first semifinal for his 150th tour-level victory.

In the women’s final today, top-seeded Aryna Sabalenka will play 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva. They won semifinal matches Friday night in chilly conditions.

NFL

Cousins bonus triggered >> By keeping quarterback Kirk Cousins on the Atlanta Falcons roster through Saturday, his $10 million roster bonus has become fully guaranteed, according to multiple reports.

The payment was due before March 17, the fifth day of the start of the new league business year. The Falcons have repeatedly expressed their plans to retain Cousins, who lost his starting job last season, on the roster as the backup quarterback.

The Falcons signed Cousins last spring to a four-year deal worth up to $180 million.

Both the team and player have wound up in a messy situation.

The Falcons benched Cousins for rookie Michael Penix Jr., their surprise pick at No. 8 overall who’s now their quarterback moving forward.

Cousins, who turns 37 in August, now wants the opportunity to start elsewhere. He reportedly met with Falcons owner Arthur Blank to express that desire. But that doesn’t mean the Falcons will oblige.

NHL

Rangers 4, Blue Jackets 0 >> Vincent Trocheck scored twice in the third period, Igor Shesterkin made 18 saves for his fifth shutout this season and the New York Rangers leapfrogged Columbus for the second Eastern Conference wild-card playoff spot on Saturday night.

Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin each had a goal and an assist for the Rangers, who won the last two games of their three-stop road trip. New York has won eight of its last 11 against the Blue Jackets, including three of four this season.

Hurricanes 5, Flyers 0 >> Mark Jankowski scored twice, Pyotr Kochetkov stopped 26 shots for his second shutout of the season, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night for their seventh straight win.

Sebastian Aho had a goal and an assist, Taylor Hall and Scott Morrow also scored, and Eric Robinson and Shayne Gostisbehere each had two assists for Carolina.

Samuel Ersson finished with 26 saves for the Flyers, who have lost six of seven.

Penguins 7, Devils 3 >> Erik Karlsson scored a power-play goal, Rickard Rakell contributed his team-leading 31st of the season and the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the New Jersey Devils.

With an assist, Sidney Crosby tied Wayne Gretzky for the fourth-most points with a single franchise. Crosby also recorded his 12th 50-assist season, equaling Adam Oates for 8th in NHL history. He has points in 10 straight home games.