Players Championship: Rory McIlroy beats J.J. Spaun in three-hole St. Patrick's Day playoff

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- It was St. Patrick’s Day, so why not Rory?

Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy won his second Players Championship and 28^th PGA Tour title on the ninth Monday finish in the 51-year history of the PGA Tour’s Flagship event when he took advantage of J.J. Spaun’s air-mailed 8-iron at the par-3 17^th green at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass to win the three-hole aggregate playoff at 1-over par in front of a chilly but boisterous crowd.

“It was incredible,” said McIlroy, who won his first Players in 2019 on March 17 and also won the 2018 Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 18. “I turned to my caddie Harry [Diamond] and I was like, ‘I can’t believe how many people are here. Obviously, no one works in Jacksonville.”

PGA Tour officials said more than 6,000 fans who were holding Sunday tickets returned for the tournament's sixth playoff in history, which lasted 47 minutes.

McIlroy erased last year's demons

The fans saw a future Hall of Famer add more luster to his career and perhaps atone for disappointing finishes in 2024 such as a U.S. Open loss to Bryson DeChambeau by one shot when McIlroy bogeyed three of his last four holes; a BMW Championship loss to Billy Horschel (the European PGA Tour’s equivalent to The Players) when Horschel eagled the second playoff hole; and losing to Rasmus Højgaard by one shot at the Irish Open in his native country when he bogeyed two holes down the stretch.

“The U.S. Open was hard ... the Irish Open was hard ... that was a hard one to lose at home,” McIlroy said. “It’s a long career. You have to stay incredibly patient. I would say some of those losses have helped me learn what to do when I’m in those positions again.

But McIlroy might be going through another crisis of confidence if Spaun had not left a 30-foot birdie putt attempt inches short of the cup at No. 18 on Sunday, after McIlroy missed birdie putt attempts on his last six holes, and bogeyed No. 14.

That forced the playoff and it was on a brisk morning in which the wind had turned completely around from Sunday's direction that McIlroy finally closed to earn $4.5 million from a total purse of $25 million and 750 FedEx Cup points to take the lead in both categories. He is now tied for 20^th on the all-time Tour victory list with Leo Diegel and Paul Runyan.

Rory McIlroy kisses the winning trophy after a three-hole aggregate playoff of The Players Championship PGA golf tournment Monday, March 17, 2025 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Rory McIlroy won his second Players Championship winning +1 to J.J. Spaun’s +3 tiebreaking playoff round. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

Luck of the Irish? Maybe.

“It feels strange to win a golf tournament at 10 in the morning,” he said. “I feel like I can’t have a drink yet. It is St. Patrick’s Day, though. I was looking for something green to wear but I didn’t have anything with me.”

He’s got plenty of green in the bank.

Spaun was encouraged by his week

Spaun still collected his biggest PGA Tour paycheck at $2,725,000 and moved from 15^th to fifth on the FedEx Cup list.

Since mid-season of 2024, when he feared losing his PGA Tour card, Spaun has made 19 of 22 cuts with seven top-10 finishes.

“This is probably the best golf I’ve played in my career, consistently,” he said. “To go from where I was a year ago today ... I’m pretty proud. I’ve been able to dig deep and kind of get some self-belief and get some confidence.”

Spaun made his first Players cut in four starts last year and tied for 64^th.

“That was the first cut I made all year,” he said. “Now I lost in a playoff. Kind of a big flip there.”

McIlroy lost a three-shot lead on Sunday

They both finished at 12-under 276 on Sunday, McIlroy firing a 68 to catch Spaun (72), the 54-hole leader. However, McIlroy had a three-shot lead after making his third birdie in five holes at No. 12 and didn’t make another.

Spaun caught up with birdies at Nos. 14 and 16.

Tom Hoge (66, the low fourth-round score), Akshay Bhatia (70) and Lucas Glover (71) tied for third at 10-under. Jacksonville resident Danny Walker (70), who got into his first Players Championship as an alternate, former Jacksonville resident Bud Cauley (74) and Corey Conners (71) tied for sixth.

The final round was interrupted for four hours by severe thunderstorms, necessitating the need to return on Monday for the playoff. It was the first playoff since 2015 when Rickie Fowler beat Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia in four holes.

Rory McIlroy set the tone with big drive

McIlroy may not have worn green but except for his only errant tee shot of the week at the par-4 18^th hole, that’s all he saw as he pounded a 336-yard drive down the center of the fairway at the par-5 16^th to set up a two-putt birdie, hit the first two greens in regulation and safely two-putted for bogey at the last.

Rory McIlroy final putt falls in the cup on the 18th green during a three-hole aggregate playoff of The Players Championship PGA golf tournment Monday, March 17, 2025 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. Rory McIlroy won his second Players Championship winning +1 to J.J. Spaun’s +3 tiebreaking playoff round. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]

McIlroy's opening drive set the tone and delivered a message.

"When we were arming up on the range, the wind direction was sort of similar to 16," he said. "I hit a few extra drivers just knowing that would be a key shot, knowing I would have honors as well. I though if I could get the ball in the fairway, it sort of put a little bit of pressure on J.J. To step up and make that swing was awesome."

Spaun, whose opening drive went into the right rough, fell one shot behind at the 16^th when he missed a 22-foot birdie putt attempt. He then slammed an 8-iron into the wind at No. 17 that went over the Island Green on the fly, just after McIlroy found the green, 29 feet away from the hole.

Disbelief clearly showing on his face, Spaun trudged to the drop area, hit a shot that spun back and came to rest against the collar of the second cut of rough, 42 feet from the hole. His chip only got him as close as 10 feet and he missed that enabling McIlroy to absorb a three-putt bogey after he sent his birdie attempt 9 feet past the hole.

Spaun takes ‘a lot of positives’

With a three-shot lead on the 18^th tee, McIlroy sliced his tee shot but Spaun, needing to combine a birdie with a McIlroy disaster of some kind, immediately followed suit.

Both punched out to about the same spot in the fairway, with Spaun’s third shot from 142 yards falling back to the left-front of the green, 68 feet away and McIlroy's from 139 yards reaching the top shelf, nearly 17 feet from the hole.

Josh Rapplean and his wife Alyssa Rapplean were dressed in the St. Patty’s Day gear while attending the three-hole aggregate playoff of the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass Monday March 17, 2025 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fl. Rory McIlroy won his second Players Championship at +1 over J.J. Spaun. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union]

When Spaun left his par attempt 10 feet short and McIlroy two-putted for bogey, Spaun picked his ball marker and shook the winner’s hand.

Spaun left with no regrets.

“I committed to every shot I hit,” he said. “A lot of positives this week and proud to give myself a chance.”

Rory McIlroy is seventh multiple Players champion

McIlroy said he appreciates the company that winning a second Players at the Stadium Course puts him: Scottie Scheffler, Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Steve Elkington and Hal Sutton.

Jack Nicklaus is the only three-time winner, but the victories came at three courses, and none at the Stadium Course.

McIlroy said Pete Dye's torturous design has been an acquired taste, one that he savors every year.

“Super happy, super proud to win this even for a second time,” he said. “Not a lot of people have done that over the 51 years of The Players. I go back to 2009 when I first set my eyes on this golf course and it certainly wasn’t love at first sight [he missed his first three cuts]. I’ve had to learn to play this golf course and adapt my game to it in some ways.”

McIlroy said failing to close out his lead on Sunday motivated him more on Monday.

“I don’t want to put any label on it but this is one of the biggest championships in the world,” he said. “Because I didn’t get it done last night, I really wanted to ... look, I’m going out there today ... and I’m expected to win. That brings its own pressure. But I felt like I handled everything and handled those nerves really well.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Players Championship: Rory McIlroy prevails over J.J. Spaun in playoff

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Players Championship: Rory McIlroy beats J.J. Spaun in three-hole St. Patrick's Day playoff

McIlroy erased last year's demons

Spaun was encouraged by his week

McIlroy lost a three-shot lead on Sunday

Rory McIlroy set the tone with big drive

Spaun takes ‘a lot of positives’

Rory McIlroy is seventh multiple Players champion

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