Rory McIlroy had a shot to end The PLAYERS Championship in 72 holes, multiple shots, but instead, McIlroy and JJ Spaun will go head-to-head in a playoff on Monday morning.
Despite entering the final round four shots back, McIlroy held a commanding three-shot lead on the back nine. That led to his bold comment to NBC‘s Smylie Kaufman after the day was finished.
“All day it was a bit of a battle, I’m standing here feeling like I probably should be going home with the trophy tonight,” McIlroy said.”But that’s fine. I’ll reset and hopefully go home with the trophy tomorrow.”
Following a four-hour rain delay, within eight minutes of the restart, it seemed McIlroy had the tournament secured. He went birdie-birdie at the 11th and 12th to hold a three shot lead over Spaun.
McIlroy dropped a shot at the toughest hole on TPC Sawgrass, the par-4 14th. Spaun birdied the 14th to get within two and sank another on the par-5 16th while the Northern Irishman came home with four straight pars.
The 27-time PGA Tour winner had chances to secure the win, but could not get his putts to drop. He would two-putt the final four holes.
The four-time major winner knows he might have let the tournament get away from him.
It is easy to understand that mindset. At the same time, Spaun could have won outright himself, sending the Northern Irishman straight home.
Spaun missed a birdie putt on 18 by inches that would have won The PLAYERS.
JJ Spaun was an inch from winning The PLAYERS Championship.Playoff time. Tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/4uLdv8e7Bd
— Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) March 16, 2025
McIlroy seemed disappointed in his performance, too. Those two-putts down the stretch were not detrimental, but did allow Spaun to stay in the tournament.
“I’m happy to be in the position that I am, but also I feel like I had chances there on the back nine to close the door, and I didn’t quite do that.”
He two-putted from seven-feet on 15, 11-feet on 16 and 11 feet on 17. On the 18th, McIlroy had over 70-feet to make birdie, but the ball did not turn when he needed it to.
He and Spaun will have to duke it out bright and early Monday morning in the first PLAYERS Championship playoff since 2015.
Although he is a veteran of the PGA Tour, this will be McIlory’s first playoff on a Monday. But he has a strategy.
“It’s very much just a three-hole match play scenario. That’s all it is,” he said. “I’d like to think that I can fall back on my experience and maybe have a little bit more than J.J., but then at the same time, tomorrow is all just about execution and getting up there and making five good swings.”
McIlory knows how to handle the pressure, as he is 3-2 in playoffs during his PGA Tour career. However, for Spaun, it will be his first extra-hole test.
The three-hole aggregate playoff on holes 16, 17, and 18 will be at 9 a.m. ET on Golf Channel and Peacock.
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