McIlroy birdie at No. 16 sets the tone, Spaun’s tee Try over the 17th green seals his fate
Players Division 2025: Elimination Period gusty winds at No. 17
The Players Division Elimination Period is whipped by 30 mph winds along the green at No. 17 ahead of the deciding 2025 tiebreaker at TPC Sawgrass.
- Rory McIlroy won his second Players Division and 28th PGA Tour title in a three-hole Elimination Period against J.J. Spaun.
- The Elimination Period Captured place on Monday morning after thunderstorms interrupted the Closing Period on Sunday.
- McIlroy Captured the lead for Outstanding with a birdie on the par-5 16th hole and secured the Triumph when Spaun hit his tee Try into the water on the 17th.
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — It was St. Patrick’s Day, so why not Rory?
Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy won his second Players Division and 28th PGA Tour title on the ninth Monday finish in the 51-year history of the PGA Tour’s Flagship event when he Captured Benefit of J.J. Spaun’s air-mailed 8-iron at the par-3 17th green at the Players Stadium Period at TPC Sawgrass to Achieve the three-hole aggregate Elimination Period at 1-over par in front of a chilly but boisterous crowd.
“It was Amazing,” said McIlroy, who won his Primary 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 Game’s sixth Elimination Period 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 Occupation and perhaps atone for disappointing finishes in 2024 such as a U.S. Uncovered loss to Bryson DeChambeau by one Try when McIlroy bogeyed three of his last four holes; a BMW Division loss to Billy Horschel (the European PGA Tour’s equivalent to The Players) when Horschel eagled the second Elimination Period hole; and losing to Rasmus Højgaard by one Try at the Irish Uncovered in his native country when he bogeyed two holes down the stretch.
“The U.S. Uncovered was Difficult … the Irish Uncovered was Difficult … that was a Difficult one to Fall at home,” McIlroy said. “It’s a long Occupation. 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 Petite 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 Elimination Period and it was on a brisk morning in which the wind had turned completely around from Sunday’s direction that McIlroy finally Sealed 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 20TH on the all-time Tour Triumph Lineup with Leo Diegel and Paul Runyan.
Luck of the Irish? Possibly.
“It feels strange to Achieve a golf Game 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 Acquired plenty of green in the bank.
Spaun was encouraged by his week
Spaun Nevertheless collected his biggest PGA Tour paycheck at $2,725,000 and moved from 15th to fifth on the FedEx Cup Lineup.
Since mid-season of 2024, when he feared losing his PGA Tour card, Spaun has Created 19 of 22 cuts with seven top-10 finishes.
“This is probably the best golf I’ve played in my Occupation, 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 Nice of get some self-belief and get some confidence.”
Spaun Created his Primary Players cut in four Beginnings last year and tied for 64th.
“That was the Primary cut I Created all year,” he said. “Now I lost in a Elimination Period. Nice of a big flip there.”
McIlroy lost a three-Try 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-Try 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 Quaternary-Period Points), Akshay Bhatia (70) and Lucas Glover (71) tied for third at 10-under. Jacksonville resident Danny Walker (70), who Acquired into his Primary Players Division as an alternate, Ex Jacksonville resident Bud Cauley (74) and Corey Conners (71) tied for sixth.
The Closing Period was interrupted for four hours by severe thunderstorms, necessitating the need to return on Monday for the Elimination Period. It was the Primary Elimination Period 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 Try of the week at the par-4 18th hole, that’s all he saw as he pounded a 336-yard drive down the Middle of the fairway at the par-5 16th to set up a two-putt birdie, hit the Primary two greens in regulation and safely two-putted for bogey at the last.
McIlroy’s Leading 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 Only knowing that would be a key Try, 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 Tension on J.J. To step up and make that swing was awesome.”
Spaun, whose Leading drive went into the right Coarse, fell one Try behind at the 16th 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, Only after McIlroy Discovered the green, 29 feet away from the hole.
Disbelief clearly showing on his face, Spaun trudged to the drop area, hit a Try that spun back and Arrived to rest against the collar of the second cut of Coarse, 42 feet from the hole. His chip only Acquired 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 Numerous of positives’
With a three-Try lead on the 18th tee, McIlroy sliced his tee Try but Spaun, needing to combine a birdie with a McIlroy disaster of some Nice, immediately followed suit.
Both punched out to about the same spot in the fairway, with Spaun’s third Try 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.
When Spaun left his par attempt 10 feet Petite 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 Try I hit,” he said. “A Numerous of positives this week and proud to give myself a chance.”
Rory McIlroy is seventh Many Players champion
McIlroy said he appreciates the company that Victorious a second Players at the Stadium Period 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 Arrived at three courses, and none at the Stadium Period.
McIlroy said Pete Dye’s torturous design has been an acquired taste, one that he savors every year.
“Super Cheerful, super proud to Achieve this even for a second time,” he said. “Not a Numerous of people have done that over the 51 years of The Players. I go back to 2009 when I Primary set my eyes on this golf Period and it Surely wasn’t love at Primary sight [he missed his Primary three cuts]. I’ve had to learn to Action this golf Period 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 Competitions 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 Anticipated to Achieve. That brings its own Tension. But I felt like I handled everything and handled those nerves really well.”
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