Rory McIlroy captured the 2025 Players Championship following a three-hole aggregate playoff on Monday morning in Ponte Vedra. The Northern Irishman overcame American JJ Spaun to become the first European to win multiple Players titles.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe joins the likes of Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Scottie Scheffler as the only golfers to win multiple majors and multiple Players. But it was far from straightforward for McIlroy, who arguably should have had the tournament won on Sunday.
Tee times were brought forward on Sunday to negate the danger of thunderstorms in the afternoon. But the leaders were just ten holes into their final round before a four-hour delay ensued. Players could return to the course just after 5 pm local time to try and finish the tournament. But the March daylight proved to be the enemy as darkness swept the grounds. And a playoff was required, with Spaun and McIlroy tied at 12-under after 72 holes. The traditional Players playoff involves a three-hole aggregate decider instead of the typical sudden-death format implemented in most PGA events.
Embed from Getty ImagesSo the pair returned early on a blustery Monday morning in Florida, a recurring weather front from the torrid and tormenting weekend that players dealt with. Locals cancelled their morning meetings to return to TPC Sawgrass to witness the short-lived but decisive playoff.
It is always surreal when a Monday finish occurs, particularly with the chaos of the windy conditions and rain delays that had preceded. But McIlory was unfazed by the lengthened formula as he stepped up and hit possibly his best drive of the week to get the playoff underway on 16. A two-putt birdie, opposed to a nervy par from Spaun, meant Rory held a one-shot advantage when going to the island green on the 17th. McIlroy admitted that he envisioned himself hitting it into the water but had to replace those demons with positive visualisation. Whatever he did helped immensely as he flighted a nine-iron up against the wind safely into the middle of the green.
Cameras showed Spaun sneaking a glance at Rory’s club selection, so he opted for one more but blasted a higher trajectory straight through the gust and into the water behind the green. He ended up wedging on and making a triple, ending his hopes of a career-changing win. Although Rory was three-putted, he still held a three-stroke advantage, going to 18. The finishing stretch at TPC Sawgrass is perhaps the most famous in all of golf’s glory and forces you to execute the necessary shot on every occasion.
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The out-of-the-left wind increased the difficulty of the hole, and both players blew their driveway right, away from the water, understandably so. The pair were on in three after laying up, and McIlroy’s two-putt sealed the deal. But what was most impressive was his ball fight control on both 17 and then again on 18. The disparity between Rory and Spaun was the deciding factor in the tournament.
McIlroy executed the exact shot that was required, and that ultimately won him the championship. It is his second at Sawgrass, following his 2019 victory, but this one was far more clinical when it mattered most. Yes, he maybe should have had it won Sunday evening after playing the last five holes in one-over par. But after starting the final round four shots behind, it was Rory seizing the opportunity and, eventually, getting over the line.
The win, on St. Patrick’s Day, augments McIlroy’s imposing opening to the 2025 season – his second victory in just four starts. And by winning at Pebble Beach and now Sawgrass, two of America’s most challenging yet idolised golf courses, it projects a lingering sense of danger to his competitors. Rory is coming!
Embed from Getty ImagesWith Augusta looming next month, the annual narrative resumes with McIlroy still searching for the career grand slam at The Masters. But this is seemingly the best the 35-year-old has played leading up to April, possibly giving him the best chance in recent times. Additionally, with his two closest competitors, Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler, exhibiting indifferent starts to their campaigns following minor injuries, the door seems ajar for McIlroy to hunt down Scheffler as World Number One, but also add to end his decade-long major drought, one that has been haunting him for years.
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Monday marked the ninth Monday finish in Players history, quite astonishing that a tournament has been forced into an extra day on so many occasions. The last was in 2022 when Cameron Smith won, but that was without a playoff. The move from May to March back in 2019 due to the PGA Championship rearrangement is undoubtedly a factor in the delayed finishes. Shorter days in terms of sunlight and the increased frequency of stormy weather in Florida are contributing factors, but it also re-establishes the pace of play narrative that has plagued the Tour this year.
This year was the first time there had been a playoff at The Players since 2015 when Rickie Fowler memorably beat Sergio Garcia and Kevin Kisner. By not converting his lead going into Sunday, JJ Spaun became the 10th straight 54-hole leader not to go on to win after leading by one in the final round. It is a rather astonishing feat that highlights the several instances in which the winner has come from a few behind to storm up the leaderboard to win at Sawgrass.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe golf media always predicate that it is impossible to foresee who will win at The Players because of the diverse range of champions. The Pete Dye design promotes creativity and optionality off the tee, with all shot shapes required. The re-establishment of the overhanging tree by the tee box on the sixth was a talking point all week long. It could be easily navigated 30 feet off the ground, but the raw visual intimidation forced players into decreasing their trajectory with long irons or woods.
The field hit the fairway 58.2% of the time, the fewest since 2011. The 66 birdies for the week were 26 fewer than last year, highlighting that the tree played mind tricks and increased the hole’s difficulty. This is just one example of the creativity needed at TPC Sawgrass, but it epitomises the course as a whole.
Rory McIlroy’s mantra is usually to drive the ball long and straight and hole some putts to win. But Rory won in a different style this week. Of the 72 players that cut, McIlroy was 70th in percentage of fairways hit with 48%. He hit less than half of the fairways, so he had to rely on his imaginative iron shots and clutch putting to finish the job. This was the second consecutive week Rory finished in the top ten for strokes gained: putting, for the first time since the summer of 2022. It feels as if, and Rory testified to it, that it is the most complete his game has ever been.
Embed from Getty ImagesWith his 28th PGA Tour victory, Rory McIlroy advances to tie for 20th on the all-time wins list, another achievement in an illustrious career. Undoubtedly, he is trending at just the right time, so perhaps this is the best preparation he could envision going into the Masters. With his third win in his last seven starts now, is this the year McIlroy finally receives gratification and closure and secures the Grand Slam?