Rory McIlroy Wins THE PLAYERS Championship in Monday Playoff Over J.J. Spaun

It took 75 holes, a storm delay, an overnight wait and one gust of wind at the most famous par 3 in golf, but Rory McIlroy is a two-time PLAYERS champion.

McIlroy beat J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff on Monday morning at TPC Sawgrass, finishing the 16th, 17th and 18th in 1 over while Spaun's tee shot at the island-green 17th flew the green and found the water. The two had finished regulation tied at 12-under 276 on Sunday before darkness pushed the playoff to Monday. McIlroy collected $4.5 million from the $25 million purse, and Spaun took home about $2.7 million as the runner-up.

A Cold Morning, a Quick Swing

Monday looked nothing like the sunny days in the 70s that opened the week. It was chilly and windy, with temperatures in the mid-50s, per the AP, and the wind made it feel colder. On the par-5 16th, McIlroy set the tone right away with a 336-yard drive down the middle. He hit pitching wedge to the green and two-putted for birdie.

Spaun's drive found the rough, and his approach ended up in a bunker. He made par. After one hole, McIlroy led by one.

"Those three swings were basically what decided the championship," McIlroy said, per NBC Sports.

The Gust at 17

Then came the island. McIlroy went first and hit a 9-iron into the wind that found dry land. Spaun, having watched that shot, went with an 8-iron. The ball pierced the wind, carried the green and splashed down beyond it. Spaun made triple bogey.

"I just couldn't believe it was long," Spaun said, per NBC Sports. "Just not my luck of the gust."

McIlroy three-putted for bogey on the fast greens, but it barely mattered. He walked to the 18th tee with a three-shot cushion, and the final hole became a formality. Both players drove right into the wind and recovered to the fairway. McIlroy put his third shot within a few yards of the hole and two-putted, tapping in for a bogey that sealed it.

McIlroy was quick to give Spaun credit. "I feel for J.J. He's had a great week," McIlroy said.

Twenty-Eight and Counting

The win is McIlroy's 28th PGA TOUR title and his second PLAYERS, six years after he won here in 2019 by one over Jim Furyk. It is also his second win of 2025 after the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, and the PGA TOUR noted that it is the first time McIlroy has won multiple TOUR titles before April.

The history piles up from there. McIlroy became the eighth player to win THE PLAYERS more than once, according to the TOUR. Per the AP, he joined Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler as the only players with multiple majors and multiple PLAYERS titles. It was also only the second three-hole aggregate playoff in tournament history, after Rickie Fowler's win in 2015.

"I am unbelievably proud and happy to win my second Players," McIlroy said, per the DP World Tour.

Winning Without His Best

What makes this one interesting is how McIlroy got it done. He hit fewer than half his fairways for the week. He opened with a 67 while hitting four fairways, shot a scrappy 73 in Saturday's wind and, on Sunday, let a three-shot lead with six holes to play slip away. Plenty of players do not survive that. McIlroy did, and he was honest about it.

"By no means did I have my best stuff this week," McIlroy said, "but I was still able to win one of the biggest tournaments in the world."

He also admitted the expectations weigh on him. "I was as nervous as I can remember," McIlroy said. "I'm expected to win, as well. That brings its own pressure in some way."

After the final putt dropped, he made it clear that three holes were plenty. "I'm just glad we didn't have to play 18 [holes] in that," he said. "Three was enough."

Spaun's Week Still Counts

It would be easy to remember Spaun only for one gust at 17, and that would miss the point. The 34-year-old came into the week ranked No. 57 with one TOUR title in 227 starts, the 2022 Valero Texas Open. Less than a year ago he was outside the top 180 in the FedExCup and staring at the possible loss of his card. This week, Spaun shared the first-round lead, held the 54-hole lead through Saturday's wind and birdied two of his last five holes on Sunday to force the playoff.

It was Spaun's first playoff on the PGA TOUR, and he took it to one of the best players in the world for 75 holes.

Behind them, Tom Hoge, Akshay Bhatia and Lucas Glover tied for third at 10 under. Bud Cauley, Corey Conners and Danny Walker tied for sixth.

What It Means

For McIlroy, the timing is impossible to ignore. Two wins before April, a second PLAYERS on his resume and a game that won even when it was not sharp. The question for everyone else now is how much better he gets when it all clicks.

Relive the whole week with our Round 1, Round 2, Round 3 and Round 4 recaps. Final results are on the official PGA TOUR leaderboard (opens in a new tab), and the TOUR's winner's story (opens in a new tab) has more.

Sources: PGA TOUR (winner's story, playoff preview, leaderboard), AP, NBC Sports, DP World Tour. More golf coverage on Undrafted.

Photo: PGA TOUR.