Rory McIlroy Wins Players Championship After Playoff

A four-hour rain delay Sunday afternoon interrupted Rory McIlroy’s stellar round, and his three-shot lead on the back nine eventually disappeared.

McIlroy shot +1 over the final six holes of the final round, which allowed J.J. Spaun to force a three-hole playoff Monday morning. Spaun, who entered the final round at -12, shot -2 over the final seven holes to match McIlroy’s overall score of -12. With a $4.5 million prize on the line Monday morning, only one man kept his nerves.

The Players Championship came to an end with a three-hole playoff — with McIlroy and Spaun playing the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes. McIlroy began the playoff with a huge tee shot and set himself up for a birdie attempt with a solid approach shot with a pitching wedge. Then, McIlroy found the bottom of the cup with his birdie putt. Spaun found himself in a bunker but a good out gave him a look at birdie on the par-5 hole. However, he settled for par after leaving his birdie putt short.

On the 17th, Spaun’s hopes came to an end. After McIlroy found the green at the famed Island Green at TPC Sawgrass, Spaun launched his tee shot over the green and into the water. Despite McIlroy three-putting and carding a bogey, Spaun was unable to stay within reach of his opponent. Spaun finished the hole with a triple bogey — giving McIlroy a three-shot advantage heading to the final hole.

“It was a great shot … perfect if it was the right distance,” Spaun said of his 8-iron tee shot on 17. “I just couldn’t believe it was long. Just not my luck of the gust.”

“One hundred percent, I was committed to the shot, the shot shape and the club. I just hit it too good and it went right through the wind. I was almost telling it to get up, because I thought I saw it floating…

“I did what I needed to do, it just didn’t go in my favor. It’s hard not to feel discouraged a little bit but it’s great to put myself in contention, and if I’d told myself that at the start of the week, I’d have taken it.”

Despite a poor tee shot on 18, McIlroy had plenty of room for error and his bogey was enough to clinch the victory and $4.5 million prize.

“I feel like I’m a better player now than I ever have been, and it’s nice to see the fruits of my labor paying off,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy is the eighth player to win multiple Players Championships — joining Jack Nicklaus (3), Tiger Woods (2), Scottie Scheffler (2), Fred Couples (2), Hal Sutton (2), Davis Love III (2), and Steve Elkington (2).