J.J. Spaun and Rory McIlroy look on from the 16th tee during the playoff in the final round of The Players Championship. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
On Sunday, Rory McIlroy had to come from behind to get himself into a playoff at The Players Championship. On Monday, he won the playoff with relative ease over J.J. Spaun to win golf’s so-called fifth major.
McIlroy played himself into the playoff, firing a 4-under 68 on Sunday to come from four shots down. Spaun, the third-round leader, hung on with one of golf’s most popular and accomplished players in his rearview mirror.
The two entered Monday’s three-hole playoff with two completely different narratives:
• McIlroy, ranked No. 2 in the world, trying to make up ground on world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler; Spaun, ranked No. 54, trying to make a name for himself.
• McIlroy, a 27-time PGA Tour winner, trying to win No. 28 and his second Players Championship; Spaun, a one-time winner, trying to pick up win No. 2 and the biggest victory of his career.
• McIlroy, a four-time major winner, trying to round himself into form heading into the Masters in just a few weeks; Spaun, who’s played in only six majors since turning pro 13 years ago, trying to earn just his second invitation to Augusta National and first since 2022.
The Players Championship presents a unique playoff format: a three-hole aggregate score across Nos. 16 — a gettable par 5 — 17 — the famed island green — and 18 — the second-most difficult hole on the entire course.
McIlroy took the early advantage, finding the fairway on his tee shot while Spaun wound up in the rough. That led to a 5-footer for birdie for McIlroy, a 22-footer for Spaun. McIlroy converted, Spaun could not.
McIlroy -1, Spaun E
Facing an 11 mph headwind, picking the right club to find dry land became the challenge for both players. McIlroy, hitting first, dropped his safely about 30 feet beyond the hole, putting the pressure on Spaun … who flew the green completely with an 8-iron, his first ball in the water all week.
From there, Spaun hit from the drop area, had to use a pitching wedge from the collar on the green and, well, tournament over even with McIlroy three-putting.
McIlroy E, Spaun +3
Even with a comfortable lead, McIlroy wasn’t taking it easy, grabbing driver off the 18th tee and hitting it way right. For a moment, Spaun had a glimmer of hope … until he followed by hitting his drive even further to the right than McIlroy. From there, it was just a matter of playing out the string, which McIlroy did with a bogey — putting out meaning Spaun didn’t even need to finish.
McIlroy +1, Spaun —
McIlroy, already with a victory on the season, is playing the best golf in the world right now. He’ll head into the Masters knowing that. But … will it matter?
“Scottie [Scheffler’s] been on an unbelievable run and I think it’s inspired all of us to try to be better — I know I gotta be better if I want to compete with him,” McIlroy said after accepting the winner’s trophy. “I’ve knuckled down, I’ve worked hard.”
It’s been an entire career since his last victory in a major way back in 2014. And while The Players Championship is certainly a nice addition to his resume, it won’t quiet the talk — or the ghosts in his head — when he arrives at Augusta National in April.
For Spaun, there’s still a silver lining. He’ll move into the top 30 in the world rankings and should earn invitations to the majors this season. Considering he didn’t qualify for any of the four majors last year and just one in 2023, that’s something.
