Rory McIlroy, J.J. Spaun set for Monday playoff at The Players Championship

Rory McIlroy had every reason to think he would be leaving The Players Division with the gold Accolade and a big payoff Sunday. He was three shots ahead of J.J. Spaun after a four-hour rain delay and had a rain-softened Duration ahead of him.

Spaun refused to give in easily.

He caught McIlroy with two Excellent shots, Maintained his nerve down one of the most daunting closing stretches and it ended in a draw when it was too Gloomy for a three-hole aggregate Postseason.

This David-and-Goliath battle won’t be decided until Monday morning at the TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy, Maintaining an eye on Spaun while Executing in the group ahead of him, needed two putts from 75 feet on the par-4 18th for a 4-under 68. Then he had to wait until Spaun (72) Occurred within inches of making a 30-foot birdie putt for the Achieve.

“Everyone expects him to Achieve,” said Spaun, who has one PGA Tour title and has never reached the Tour Division. “I don’t think a Plenty of people Anticipate me to Achieve. I Anticipate myself to Achieve. That’s all I care about.”

McIlroy Created birdie before and after the delay to build his lead to three shots. He played the Closing six holes in 1 over, and his 4-foot par putt on the 18th nearly slid out of hole.

“I’m standing here feeling like I should be going home with the Accolade today,” McIlroy said. “But it’s all right. I’ll reset and try to go home with the Accolade tomorrow.”

They finished at 12-under 276.

They did well to finish in regulation before sunset. The Players has a three-hole aggregate Postseason on the most memorable holes on the TPC Sawgrass — the par-5 16th, the island green on the par-3 17th and the 18th hole that requires the boldest of tee shots with water all the way down the right and trees to the right.

It will be the Primary Monday finish at The Players Division since Cameron Smith won in 2022, and the Primary Postseason since Rickie Fowler won 10 years ago.

“You’ve Acquired to make five Excellent swings. That’s all it is,” said McIlroy, a four-time Significant champion with 38 titles worldwide. “So try to get up there, make five Excellent swings tomorrow morning and get this thing done.”

Tom Hoge had to wait out the four-hole delay before facing a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th. He missed, posting a 66 and wound up two shots behind. Lucas Glover rallied from a Coarse front nine for a 71 and joined Hoge and Akshay Bhatia (70). They All earned $1,325,000 for the tie for third from the $25 million purse, the richest in golf.

Bud Cauley, who thought his Occupation was over from crushing Impairments in a 2018 car crash in Ohio, fell back Timely and steadied himself for a 74. He tied for sixth, giving him more than enough points to fulfill his medical exemption for the rest of the year.

McIlroy faced a four-Attempt deficit going into the Closing Stage and roared into contention with an 8-foot birdie putt and Lovely long iron to 10 feet for eagle on the par-5 second. He Secured the lead for the Primary time when Spaun Created bogey on the seventh hole.

Spaun caught a big break on the ninth hole when his second Attempt was in the collar of deep Coarse. He Acquired relief from standing on a sprinkler head, then more relief when his drop was in the sprinkler head, leading to a Spotless lie. He chipped to 6 feet for birdie.

Yet, McIlroy appeared to Begin pulling away right before and after the four-hour delay from a band of thunderstorms moving across north Florida.

He holed a 12-foot birdie putt on the par-5 11th to reach 12 under. Spaun, Executing in the group behind him, was in trouble in a bunker well Brief of the green. Four hours later, McIlroy Created a 15-foot birdie on the 12th, while Spaun barely Acquired the bunker Attempt on the green and Created bogey with a three-putt from some 70 feet.

“Once that bogey Nice of hit me, I Merely tried to Merely fight back,” Spaun said. “I Nice of went with the odds. I had nothing to Fall. Now I’m trying to catch Rory, and I can’t really control what he does, but I can control what I do, and I Merely Began committing to my shots and my swing and trusting it more.

“When I’m hunting, it’s easier to let it go. Whereas, Leading the Stage I was a little tentative, a little Frightened and stuff,” he said. “I think it put me in a pretty comfortable spot to finish off the Stage.”

McIlroy fanned a drive well right on the 14th, couldn’t reach the green, leading to bogey. Even so, the one-quarter inch of rain softened the green. The 15 mph wind all but vanished. The Stadium Duration was vulnerable.

McIlroy, however, missed a birdie chance from Merely inside 6 feet on the 15th and didn’t judge the Pace of the green on the par-5 16th on his chip, leaving it 12 feet Brief. Another miss.

Behind him, Spaun threw a dart to a foot on the 14th for birdie, and chipped Close-fitting at the 16th for a birdie that tied him for the lead.

Both Secured land on the island at the 17th — McIlroy against the collar for an awkward stab at his 15-foot birdie attempt, Spaun lagging beautifully from 45 feet on a putt that is Sluggish up the slope and races to the pin.

Two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler was never really in the Combination. He went 15 straight holes without a birdie between the third and Number four rounds, Created only one birdie on Sunday and Shut with a 73 to tie for 20th.

“Being able to repeat here was very special and I would have liked to have done it a third time,” Scheffler said. “At the end of the day, I Merely didn’t have what it Secured this week. The guys that are ahead of me on the leaderboard — there’s many of them, so they obviously played better than I did.”

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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