Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun set up tense Players Championship playoff on Monday
Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun set up three-hole Players Championship playoff on Monday morning at TPC Sawgrass.
Rory McIlroy | -12* |
J.J. Spaun | -12* |
Tom Hoge | -10 |
Akshay Bhatia | -10 |
Lucas Glover | -10 |
playoff takes place Monday* |
Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun will return for a three-hole aggregate playoff to determine the winner of The Players Championship at famed TPC Sawgrass on Monday.
McIlroy, 35, carded a final-round 68 to overhaul a four-shot deficit starting the day on 54-hole leader Spaun, who closed with a 72.
The 2025 Players Championship will be decided in a three-hole aggregate playoff on holes 16, 17 and 18.
The playoff will start at 9 a.m. ET, which is 1pm UK time.
If the scores are still tied after the three holes, the sudden-death playoff holes will be 17, 18 and 16.
The tournament was unable to be completed on Sunday due to darkness.
Storms in the area saw the final round suspended for four hours from 1.15pm local time.
Play then got back underway at 5.15pm.
The winner of The Players Championship will receive a first-prize cheque for $4.5m.
McIlroy is seeking a second Players Championship title having picked up his first in 2019.
It would also mark his second victory of the 2025 PGA Tour season and a 28th overall on the circuit.
Meanwhile, Spaun - who is ranked 57th in the world - is going in search of a second PGA Tour title having won his first at the 2022 Valero Texas Open.
Should McIlroy not go on to get the job done on Monday then there will be flashbacks to when he handed the U.S. Open to Bryson DeChambeau last June.
That's because McIlroy held a comfortable cushion at one stage midway through the back nine on Sunday.
McIlroy was one shot clear prior to the suspension in play but he eventually returned to hole a 15-footer for birdie on the 12th to strengthen his lead.
He then moved three shots clear when Spaun bogeyed the par-5 11th.
But the lead was quickly back to one after McIlroy bogeyed the 14th when finding trouble off the tee, and moments later Spaun tapped home for birdie from less than two feet in the group behind.
McIlroy then squandered two great chances to extend the lead to two shots when missing a five-footer for birdie on the par-4 15th and another from 12 feet on the par-5 16th.
The door was left ajar for Spaun in the group behind and the American duly took full advantage by getting up and down for birdie on 16 to tie things up at 12-under par.
Both players then made par at the tough par-3 17th and par-4 18th to finish the week tied for the lead on 12-under par.
Spaun came up agonisingly shy with his 25-footer for birdie on the 72nd hole.
"It's been a long day, got off to a great start and once we got back out the there I made the perfect start with a birdie on 12," said McIlroy.
"I gave myself chances to close the door buit didn't quite do it, and I'm going to have to do it the hard way on Monday," said McIlroy.
If McIlroy wins The Players on Monday he will become just the eighth multiple winner of the PGA Tour's flagship event of the season.
He would also become the first multiple European winner of The Players, and would also move into the top 20 for most PGA Tour career wins.
"It would mean an awful lot to win this again," added McIlroy.
"There have not been many multiple champions. Scottie won the last two years and I've spoken about how much I admire Scottie, and of course Tiger too, but hopefully I can play well tomorrow and get the job done."
A playoff at THE PLAYERS. #THEPLAYERS pic.twitter.com/XZBY5YrLNZ
— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERS) March 16, 2025
Lucas Glover (71), Akshay Bhatia (70) and Tom Hoge (66) finished two shots off the pace on 10-under in a tie for third.
McIlroy will of course go in search of the career grand slam at The Masters in three weeks time.
Elsewhere, World No.1 Scottie Scheffler endured another frustrating week down the field on 4-under par.
Scheffler closed with lacklustre rounds of 72 and 73 to finish T20.
LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson made a controversial claim during the final round of The Players that he considers Scheffler won't win a single title until at least the 2025 Ryder Cup in September.
Mickelson went further by claiming LIV Golf's latest winner Joaquin Niemann should be the World No.1 right now.
Controversial to say the least...
World No.3 Xander Schauffele certainly had a week to forget as he slumped to bottom of the field of those that made the cut.
Schauffele, who is still recovering from a rib injury to start the season, closed with rounds of 77 and 81 to finish the week on a 13-over par.
View full Players Championship scores here
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