Rory McIlroy faces a playoff against J.J. Spaun as he looks to win The Players after producing an excellent final round to feel the American in and finish level.
Both McIlroy and Spaun finished at 12 under for the tournament but with weather playing havoc at TPC Sawgrass, there was not enough light for the three-hole playoff to go ahead.
Instead, McIlroy and Spaun will tee off on 16 at 1pm EST and battle it out over three holes to be crowned Players Champion 2025.
Of course, there could be controversy if Spaun wins after his controversial drop but in the main, there’ll be people rooting for the underdog to see off McIlroy.
Still, McIlroy is the man with the experience and after learning he can become the first European ever to be a double Players winner, McIlroy explained just how much it would mean to win.
Rory McIlroy explains why he’s desperate to beat J.J. Spaun at The Players
McIlroy was kind enough to give up some of his time for the media after a long day at TPC Sawgrass and he was swiftly asked just what it would mean to win again.
And in doing so, McIlroy referenced both Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods as he spoke of his desire to win.
“It would mean an awful lot,” McIlroy said. “There’s not many multiple Players champions.
“Scottie has won the last two years and I have spoken a lot about how much I admire Scottie. It would be nice to get two like him. And two like Tiger as well, I guess!
“But I have to put that out of my head and play three good holes in the morning and hopefully that is good enough.”
Interestingly, McIlroy has never played a playoff with an overnight wait and with three holes to play, he’ll be doing all he can to be ready to go on Monday.
What Rory McIlroy said about waiting overnight to finish The Players
As noted, McIlroy has never had to wait it out this long and effectively shut down for the night before coming back out to try and win.
Indeed, McIlroy himself admitted that the reality of the situation was that he simply didn’t know what would happen and ultimately, it was a case of wait and see.
“I’ve never experienced it before. I don’t quite know,” McIlroy admitted. “But yeah, it’s going to be cool to be a part of.
“I guess it’s very much just a three-hole match play scenario. That’s all it is. Just try to prepare as best I can tomorrow morning. Get a good night’s sleep. It’s been a very long day for all of us. Yeah, and just try to be as prepared as possible for tomorrow.”
McIlory is three and two for career playoffs and has won his last three, including winning alongside Shane Lowry at The Zurich in 2024.
However, Rich Beem, speaking on Sky after the final round finished, admitted he thinks Spaun will outlast McIlroy to win.
“I am taking my friend JJ! I am sticking with him,” Beem admitted.
McIlroy, then, will be determined not to slip up and he’ll hope his experience and class tells.
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