McIlroy takes drama out of playoff to win The Players Championship over Spaun

Doug Ferguson · The Associated Press

· Posted: Mar 17, 2025 11:34 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Turns retired Rory McIlroy needed lone 3 bully swings to triumph The Players Championship connected Monday successful a playoff implicit J.J. Spaun.

McIlroy blasted his opening tee changeable and deed a pitching wedge to the par-5 16th to acceptable up birdie, and past helium recovered the land greenish astatine the par-3 17th with a 9-iron into a cold, crackling upwind that efficaciously gave him a 2nd rubric astatine golf's richest lawsuit astatine TPC Sawgrass successful Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Spaun posed implicit his 8-iron until helium heard the groans of the spectators lined up down the 17th green. His shot chopped done the upwind and sailed wide implicit the greenish into the water, starring to triple bogey that ended his hopes.

"It was a large changeable ... cleanable if it was the close distance," helium said. "I conscionable couldn't judge it was long. Just not my luck of the gust."

McIlroy became the eighth aggregate victor of The Players Championship, having besides won successful 2019. And it was the archetypal clip successful his vocation that helium won doubly heading into the Masters. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am past month.

The archetypal three-hole playoff successful 10 years astatine The Players was caused by a four-hour rainfall hold connected Sunday. McIlroy had to marque a four-foot par putt connected the 72nd hole. Spaun had a 30-foot birdie putt for the triumph that stopped inches short.

McIlroy, disappointed and having mislaid a three-shot pb connected the backmost nine, looked up to the playoff by saying, "Make 5 bully swings time greeting and get this happening done."

The 336-yard thrust connected the 16th. The pitching wedge to conscionable wrong 35 feet. The 9-iron that recovered adust land. That's each helium needed to bushed Spaun and assertion the $4.5 cardinal U.S. prize from the $25 cardinal purse.

"Those 3 swings were fundamentally what decided the championship," McIlroy said. "I consciousness for J.J. He's had a large week. To person it extremity that mode for him was hard to see."

It was reminiscent of a 2008 playoff betwixt Sergio Garcia and Paul Goydos, backmost erstwhile the 17th was utilized successful abrupt death. Garcia deed the green. Goydos came up abbreviated and into the water, and determination is nary lonelier locomotion than to the driblet portion knowing it's over.

McIlroy present has 39 wins worldwide, and plentifulness of momentum connected his broadside with the Masters a period away. A greenish overgarment is each that's keeping McIlroy from the vocation Grand Slam, the astir exclusive nine successful golf. He hasn't won a large since 2014.

The Players Championship is reputed to beryllium the adjacent champion happening to a major, and McIlroy managed Sawgrass contempt missing somewhat much than fractional of the fairways this week.

"I consciousness similar I'm a amended subordinate present than I ever person been, and it's bully to spot the fruits of my labour paying off," McIlroy said.

Spaun won $2,725,000 for his runner-up decorativeness and moved to No. 25 successful the satellite ranking, precocious capable that helium is assured a spot successful the Masters.