Rory McIlroy defeats JJ Spaun in playoff to win The Players Championship

Rory McIlroy celebrated St Patrick’s Day in style by defeating JJ Spaun in a play-off to win the prestigious Players Championship for the second time.

McIlroy covered the three-hole aggregate play-off in one-over par, but that was comfortably enough to beat Spaun in a somewhat anticlimactic finish at TPC Sawgrass.

A two-putt birdie on the par-five 16th gave McIlroy a one-shot advantage after Spaun could only make par after finding rough off the tee and a bunker with his approach.

McIlroy then safely found the green on the treacherous 17th before Spaun, who looked unsure of his club selection in the windy conditions, flew his tee shot over the green into the water.

The resulting triple bogey effectively ended the American’s chances of a second PGA Tour victory, even though McIlroy surprisingly three-putted from 30 feet.

McIlroy also bogeyed the 18th but Spaun still had 10 feet left for his own bogey and did not complete the hole after McIlroy tapped in.

“I feel bad for JJ. He hit a really good shot on 17 and it just went straight through the wind,” McIlroy told Sky Sports at the back of the 18th green. “I was lucky to do enough to get it done.

“I’m unbelievably proud and happy to win my second Players Championship. It’s the third time I’ve won on St Patrick’s Day so it’s been a good luck charm for me.”

Following his victory in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, it means McIlroy has won twice on the PGA Tour before the Masters for the first time in his career.

He becomes the eighth player to win multiple Players Championships, having previously won in 2019, when he pipped Jim Furyk by a stroke, a victory which also fell on St Patrick’s Day. Jack Nicklaus remains the only player to have the famous tournament on three occasions.

The world number two needs a victory in the year’s first major championship at Augusta National to complete the career grand slam.

McIlroy had started Sunday’s final round four shots behind overnight leader Spaun, but followed a birdie on the first with an eagle from 10 feet on the par-five second after a superb long-iron approach from 230 yards.

He also responded to a bogey on the seventh with a birdie on the eighth and another birdie on the par-five 11th took him to 12 under, a shot ahead of Spaun, before play was suspended due to an approaching storm.

Following a four-hour delay, McIlroy established a three-shot lead after he birdied the 12th as Spaun dropped a shot on the 11th, but the Holywood golfer bogeyed the 14th before Spaun birdied the same hole.

Spaun also birdied the 16th to get back on level terms and almost won the title in regulation as his birdie attempt from 30 feet on the 18th pulled up just three inches short.

Reflecting on the nerve-jangling putt on the 72nd with Sky’s Nick Dougherty this afternoon, McIlroy said: “I was really nervous. Especially having missed opportunities on 15 and 16. The light was fading. I was sort of struggling to read them. If anything, I thought the putt was going to go slightly left.

“I hit it straight and firm to take any break out of it but, if anything, it went slightly right. I was lucky I hit it firm enough for it to hold its line.

“It has a huge two-putt, I two-putted from 73ft. Lucky that JJ’s putt was a couple of revolutions short to give me this opportunity this morning.”