Min Woo Lee in contention as Berger keeps Bay Hill lead

After watching Akshay Bhatia get up-and-down from a bunker for birdie to close within two, Berger handed the putter to his caddie and decided to wait 13 hours before his next putt.

"It's an uncomfortable golf course," Bhatia said. "And it's not going to get any easier."

Regardless of how the third round concludes, Bay Hill had that feeling of being a tournament again instead of the one-man show Berger had made it going into the weekend with a five-shot lead.

That won't be the case for Rory McIlroy, who felt muscle spasms in his back and decided to withdraw about 30 minutes before his tee time. It was his first time withdrawing from a tournament in 13 years, though it was not likely to keep him from The Players Championship.

Scottie Scheffler likely shot himself out of the tournament. The world No.1 player went from a bad start to an electric back nine of five birdies in a six-hole stretch, only for his approach on 18 out of ankle-deep rough to bounce off the bank and into the water.

That led to double bogey and a 72, leaving what likely will be a double-digit deficit.

Players felt like they were on two courses to start the weekend. Bay Hill was a brute before the round was halted for just over an hour because of heavy rain. With so little grass on the greens — dead grass, at that — pools of water formed quickly.

They returned to see greens a little softer, and certainly not as scary to putt.

"The rain created a little bit of friction to where your ball was more rolling instead of kind of skidding is how I would describe it," Scheffler said.

Berger was at 13-under par — even for the round — though his two-shot lead is almost certain to grow when he returns for that eagle putt. Bhatia was 11 under with the daunting finish to come.

Australian Lee was in outright sixth at eight-under-par, following a round which included five birdies and one bogey on Saturday.

Adam Scott shares 16th place after a 71 in his third round. 

Jason Day missed the cut.