“No better feeling than getting it done,” Rory McIlroy pens down emotional note following 2nd The Players Championship triumph

Rory McIlroy claimed his 2nd The Players Championship title after overcoming J.J. Spaun in the playoff on Monday.

“No better feeling than getting it done,” Rory McIlroy pens down emotional note following 2nd The Players Championship triumph

Rory McIlroy (Image via X)

After 4 rounds of golf failed to separate J.J. Spaun and Rory McIlroy on the top of the leaderboard, a playoff round was required to determine the winner of The Players Championship. On Monday morning, McIlroy held his nerve and clinched his 2nd victory in this event. After the win, he penned down an emotional note on social media.

McIlroy started the final round 4 shots behind Spaun who was the 54-hole leader. The North Irish golfer had a perfect start with a birdie and an eagle on the first two holes. At one stage he found himself 3 shots ahead of Spaun and the others as the American international bogeyed the 11th hole.

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A four-hour weather delay seemed to have washed away the momentum of McIlroy. He missed two crucial birdie putts on the 15th and 16th hole, which allowed Spaun to come back. The duo ended the tournament at 12-under par and went into a 3-hole playoff on Monday.

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While McIlroy birdied the 16th hole (the 1st playoff hole), Spaun made even par. It was the 17th hole where Spaun suffered a massive heartbreak as he hit a triple bogey on this hole after his ball found the water.

Rory McIlroy would later take to his X account to make his feelings known regarding his win. The 35-year-old expressed that he was “proud” to join an exclusive list of players who had won this event twice.

Proud to join such elite company with two @THEPLAYERS wins. It’s one of the greatest championships we play. This game has a way of testing you, but there’s no better feeling than getting it done on a stage like this.

Rory McIlroy on X

With this win, McIlroy further improved his PGA Tour playoff record. After losing in his first two playoffs, the former World No.1 now has a 4-2 record with 4 straight wins. This is also McIlroy’s second win of the year, having previously won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.

Paige Spiranac makes huge Masters prediction for Rory McIlroy following his win at The Players Championship

After an intense round on Sunday, Rory McIlroy took out the drama on Monday with a comfortable playoff win over J.J Spaun. Following his win, golf social media influencer Paige Spiranac made a huge prediction regarding the Masters for him.

Paige Spiranac and Rory McIlroy
Paige Spiranac and Rory McIlroy (Image via Imago)

The 2025 Masters Tournament is just a few weeks away now. This is the one major championship McIlroy has not won yet in his career. A victory in this event will see him complete the career grand slam and become just the 6th player to achieve this historic feat.

Ahead of this major event at the Augusta National, Spiranac has backed McIlroy to go on and win the event this year.

Rory to win The Masters. I know but really this year is the year it’s happening

Paige Spiranac on X

McIlroy has had some close calls in this event in his career. In 2011, he was the 54-hole leader. However, a collapse in the final round saw him blow away a 4-shot lead and finish outside of the top 10. In 2022, he achieved his career-best finish in this tournament as he came 2nd, 3 shots behind eventual winner Scottie Scheffler.

Rory McIlroy goes past Phil Mickelson on PGA Tour money list after winning $4.5 million at The Players Championship

Rory McIlroy took home $4.5 million on Monday with his win at The Players Championship. With this win, the 4-time major champion surpassed Phil Mickelson on the PGA Tour money list and moved into second spot.

Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson
Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson (Image via Imago)

McIlroy’s career earnings now stand at $99.7 million from 261 starts on the PGA Tour. He thus went past Mickelson, who has $96.6 million from his time playing on the PGA Tour. Tiger Woods sits on top of this list with a whopping $120.9 million from the 378 starts he made.

McIlroy has expressed that he would play in one more event before the Masters Tournament. The pay cheque from that one tournament could see him become just the second player to earn more than $100 million from playing on the PGA Tour.