“Should have gone home with a trophy,” Rory McIlroy rues missed chances in final round as The Players Championship heads into playoff round

Rory McIlroy blew away a 3-shot lead in the final round of The Players Championship and will now head to a playoff round on Monday.

“Should have gone home with a trophy,” Rory McIlroy rues missed chances in final round as The Players Championship heads into playoff round

Rory McIlroy (Image via X)

The 51st edition of The Players Championship is heading into a playoff round. After a huge weather delay, former World No.1 Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun finished the four rounds of the event tied for 1st place. A three-hole playoff will now be played on Monday to determine the winner.

Spaun entered the final round as the 54-hole leader and was chasing just his second win on the PGA Tour. Meanwhile, McIlroy started the day 4-shots behind the American golfer and tried to clinch his second title in this event.

YouTube video

McIlroy, the 4-time major champion, had a perfect start to the day as he birdied and then landed the eagle on the first two holes. After a birdie on the 11th hole from McIlroy, the play was stopped due to the weather.

FS Video

Once the play resumed, McIlroy continued where he had left off and birdied the 12th hole. His bogey on the 14th hole saw his lead slip. He would then miss a birdie putt on the 15th hole from around 10 feet.

Spaun, on the other hand, did struggle a little bit. After his third bogey of the round on the 11th hole, he managed to pull back two shots through birdies on the 14th and 16th holes. On the final hole, his birdie putt stopped just a few inches away from the hole, which led to him tapping his ball from close range and forcing a playoff.

After the round, McIlroy looked back the chances he missed and expressed his disappointment.

I’m standing here feeling I like I should have gone home with a trophy today… I hit a pretty bad tee shot on 14, then had two good chances on 15 and 16. Two good chances slipped by there.

Rory McIlroy told Smylie Kaufman of NBC Sports

J.J. Spaun believes all the pressure is on Rory McIlroy to deliver in Monday’s playoff round

After J.J. Spaun and Rory McIlroy both finished 12-under for the tournament, a playoff will be needed to separate them. As the two golfers gear up for a tough battle, Spaun believes all the pressure is on McIlroy to deliver in the playoff round.

J.J. Spaun and Rory McIlroy
J.J. Spaun and Rory McIlroy (Image via X/Imago)

At one stage on Sunday, Spaun fell 3 shots behind McIlroy. However, after a late fight back and some missed chances from McIlroy, he was able to force a playoff round.

Everyone expects him to win. I don’t think a lot of people expect me to win. I expect myself to win. That’s all I care about.

J.J. Spaun said in the post-round press conference

The 3-hole aggregate playoff round will start at 9 a.m. Eastern Time on Monday. The round will be played at the 16th, 17th, and 18th holes. If there is a tie after this, a sudden-death format will follow.

This will be the first Monday finish in this event since Cameron Smith‘s win in the 2022 edition. It will also be the first time since 2015 when a playoff round will be needed to decide the winner of this tournament.

What is Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun’s playoff record on the PGA Tour?

When two or more golfers are tied for the first spot in a golf tournament after 72 holes, a playoff round is needed to determine the winner. The 51st edition of The Players Championship will need a playoff round to see who walks away as the winner – Rory McIlroy or J.J. Spaun?

Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun
Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun (Image via Imago/X)

Speaking of their records in a playoff, this will be the first time Spaun will participate in this. The 35-year-old’s only victory on the tour came during the 2022 Valero Texas Open. He finished two strokes ahead of Matt Jones and Matt Kuchar in that event.

As for McIlroy, he has been in playoff rounds before. He has a positive 3-2 record in this. After losing his first two appearances in 2012 and 2014, he has won in his last three playoff appearances in 2016, 2019, and 2024. His last triumph came at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans where he teamed up with Shane Lowry to win the event after beating the team of Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer.

Apart from the prestigious title, the winner will also walk away with a whopping $4.5 million winning cheque from the $25 million purse.