J.J Spaun and Rory McIlroy battled for The Players Championship after both men finished tied at the leaderboard at 12-under par. The prestigious tournament was decided by an aggregate three-hole playoff for the first time ever. Rory McIlroy remained the favorite to clinch the title, however with no pressure on Spaun, the American hoped to spin a surprise.
Spaun put in an outstanding performance on Sunday, executing a series of clutch shots over the final holes. The 34-year-old’s assured performance means that he’ll fancy his chances of winning the title despite going into the playoff as the underdog.
“Everyone expects him to win,” Spaun admitted in his post-round press conference. “I don’t think a lot of people expect me to win. I expect myself to win. That’s all I care about.”
JJ Spaun Fought Back
“It’s a little intense,” Spaun added. “You feel like you’re in a rocketship taking off.” While McIlroy was sputtering, Spaun was fighting. “Once that bogey kind of hit me (on 11), I just tried to fight back,” Spaun said. “I had nothing to lose. Now I’m trying to catch Rory, and I can’t really control what he does, but I can control what I do, and I just started committing to my shots and my swing and trusting it more. Now when I’m hunting, it’s easier to let it go.”
But all momentum was lost in the playoff on the tricky 17th. The par three resulted in Spaun finding water, leading to the nail in the coffin triple-bogey. From there, it was on McIlroy to stay clean and take the win.
Favourite Rory McIlroy Wins in Memorable Showdown
Rory McIlroy was aware that he was the favourite to win the playoff. But the Northern Irishman knew he couldn’t afford to underestimate Spaun. Spaun birdied two of his final five holes to force the second aggregate three-hole playoff in the history of The Players Championship.
In a three-hold playoff, McIlroy won The Players Championship for the first time since winning the same six years ago. The difference-maker? Perhaps it came down to his immense experience and winning mentality into the playoff. However, the Northern Irishman knew that nothing was a done deal until the final ball dropped.
“I’m happy to be in the position that I am, but also I feel like I had chances there on the back nine to close the door, and I didn’t quite do that,” said McIlroy. While McIlroy was rueing his missed chances, Spaun was reminiscing about his performance.
“Once that bogey kind of hit me (on 11), I just tried to fight back,” Spaun said. “I had nothing to lose. Now I’m trying to catch Rory, and I can’t really control what he does, but I can control what I do, and I just started committing to my shots and my swing and trusting it more. Now when I’m hunting, it’s easier to let it go.”
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