The final round of The Players Championship from TPC Sawgrass took place on Sunday. After a wild day with a long weather delay and a playoff, Rory McIlroy emerged victorious in Florida.
The day began with JJ Spaun leading at -12, looking for his second ever PGA Tour win. Due to the expected weather, split tees were used, throwing another wrench into this day. Spaun was steady early, but was unable to distance himself from the field.
The group of chasers was headlined by Rory McIlroy. He began the day four shots back, but had a dream start as he went birdie-eagle to pick up three shots in just two holes. He made it clear that he would be apart of the picture all day.
Akshay Bhatia and Lucas Glover also kept themselves in the mix, but the winds made it difficult for anyone to make a big charge. Bhatia made three birdies in his first four holes, but cooled off significantly after that. Glover finished his front nine +3, but used the last nine to make four birdies and get into the mix.
Just after the leaders made the turn to head to the back nine, the tournament was halted for inclement weather. It became questionable whether this event would finish on Sunday or not.
When the skies cleared, it looked promising to finish on time. The early leader in the clubhouse was actually Tom Hoge, who shot a -6 66 to get to -10 and post that score.
Down the stretch, McIlroy had a three-shot lead at one point but that went by the wayside. Spaun continued to battle while the others lingered a couple of shots behind. Spaun came through with a birdie on hole 16 to tie McIlroy at -12, setting up a dramatic finish. Neither golfer could gain an advantage, meaning we were headed for a three-hole aggregate playoff. That playoff would take place on Monday due to the lack of daylight available.
Monday morning, Spaun and McIlroy returned to play holes 16, 17, and 18. Rory put the pressure on right away with a birdie at 16, and Spaun was only able to make par. Then, the wheels came off for Spaun at the iconic 17th. He hit his tee shot into the water and eventually made triple bogey. McIlroy did make bogey, but went to the 18th with a three-shot lead.
That lead allowed McIlroy to comfortable win the playoff and take home the title. The win is his 28th on the PGA Tour.
