Players Championship 2012 Leaderboard: Rickie Fowler Will Continue Hot Play

Rickie Fowler is on a roll right now, and he's going to continue rolling all the way through the final round of the 2012 Players Championship.

Honestly, short of Tiger Woods making an epic comeback or Rory McIlroy having another 16-under par, having Fowler at the top of the leaderboards is a very good thing for golf. Fowler is the new era of golf, and young fans of the sport are bound to be attracted to his persona, his look and his game.

While the sport has boasted its fair share of characters—here's looking at you Angel Miguel Jimenez—most average fans, especially youth, view golf as a lazy Saturday or Sunday afternoon nap.

There's not much to draw people in, especially now that Tiger has fallen back down to earth and is playing like an average, mortal golfer.

McIlroy gave the sport a shot in the arm with his 2011 U.S. Open performance, and everyone enjoyed watching Bubba Watson win the Masters this year, but all in all golf is lacking that spark.

Enter in Fowler...

He's young, he's talented and he's got a flair about him that makes him an instant favorite. He wears stylish, often bright clothes and cool Puma hats.

What's not to like?

Fowler finished the third round at the Players at nine-under par, which currently sits at three shots under leader Matt Kuchar at 12-under, and one behind Kevin Na at 10-under.

His play in the round was fantastic—notching seven birdies and hitting without a bogey until hole 18 where he shot a six on a par five—and he looks primed to continue his hot streak into the tournament's final day.

He'll have to play just as well to keep up with and pass the likes of Kuchar and Na, but I think it's safe to say that Fowler is talented enough to do so.

Follow this link to the PGA Tour live leaderboard