PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The 2025 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass delivered a dramatic Sunday, culminating in a tie at the top after 72 holes. Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun finished regulation play at 12 under par, setting the stage for a Monday playoff at the iconic venue.
Sunday’s final round, interrupted by a late-afternoon storm, saw both players hold firm under pressure: McIlroy, the 2019 Players champion, slept on a four-shot deficit to Spaun but quickly cut the mark to just a single stroke with a birdie-eagle start. He took the lead for the first time when Spaun made bogey on hole No. 8. McIlroy pushed the lead to three after birdies on 11 and 12, coupled with Spaun carding bogey-par on the same stretch.
Two holes later, Spaun flipped the script, making birdie-par-birdie (-2) to McIlroy’s bogey-par-par (+1) on Nos. 14-16, resulting in his own three-shot swing and a tie atop the leaderboard at -12. The co-leaders each parred the always-daunting island green at 17.
On the par-4 18th, after a McIlroy par, Spaun nearly snatched victory with a 31-foot birdie putt that stopped 3 inches before the hole.
“I’m standing here feeling like I should be going home with the trophy today,” McIlroy said. “But it’s all right. I’ll reset and try to go home with the trophy tomorrow.”
The two will face off in a three-hole aggregate playoff at 9 am on Monday.
“Everyone expects him to win,” said Spaun, who owns one PGA Tour title (2022 Valero Texas Open). “I don’t think a lot of people expect me to win.
“I expect myself to win. That’s all I care about.”
Akshay Bhatia (70), Tom Hoge (66), and Lucas Glover (71) finished tied for third at 10 under, one clear of Danny Walker (70), Corey Conners (71), and Bud Cauley (74).
Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre was alone in ninth on 8 under, while Collin Morikawa (69) and Davis Thompson (70) rounded out the top-10 finishers at 7 under.
Top-10: THE 2025 PLAYERS
Pos-Player-To Par (Rd 4)
1. Rory McIlroy -12 (-4)
1. J.J. Spaun -12 (E)
3. Tom Hoge -10 (-6)
3. Akshay Bhatia -10 (-2)
3. Lucas Glover -10 (-1)
6. Danny Walker -9 (-2)
6. Corey Conners -9 (-1)
6. Bud Cauley -9 (+2)
9. Robert MacIntyre -8 (-3)
10. Collin Morikawa -7 (-3)
10. Davis Thompson -7 (-2)
Preview: Monday Playoff Promises Fireworks
The 2025 Players Championship now hinges on a three-hole aggregate playoff starting Monday, March 17, at 9 a.m. ET. McIlroy and Spaun will battle it out over holes 16, 17, and 18 at TPC Sawgrass, a stretch that demands precision and nerve.
The format: lowest combined score across the par-5 16th, the treacherous par-3 17th, and the par-4 18th takes the title. If they’re still tied, it’s sudden-death starting at 17 with rotation being 17, 18, 16, 17, 18 until a champion is determined.
McIlroy, 35, brings a pedigree that’s hard to match – four majors, 27 PGA Tour wins, and a history of winning at Sawgrass. His ball-striking has been dialed in all week, and could prove to be the edge. But Spaun, 34, is no pushover. The Californian’s quietly climbed the ranks, and his putting stroke, highlighted by that near-miss on 18, looks playoff-ready. He’s hungrier, too; this would be a career-defining win.
The forecast for Monday is clear, so no delays should muddy the drama. Hole 16 tests driving accuracy, 17 is a mental gauntlet (water looms large), and 18 is nerve wracking with water all along the left – from tee to green. McIlroy’s power might shine on the par-4 finish, but Spaun’s short-game finesse could steal it. Fans are buzzing — will Rory add another marquee title, or will Spaun shock the golf world?
Tune in tomorrow. The PGA Tour’s flagship trophy awaits.
Credit: PGA Tour Media, Grok, Getty Images
