Anyone care for more golf? The 2025 Players Championship will bleed into the work week as a four-hour rain delay coupled with a tie at the end of regulation will force Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun back to TPC Sawgrass early Monday morning. The three-hole aggregate playoff will begin at 9 a.m. ET and consist of holes Nos. 16-18 being replayed.
McIlroy and Spaun finished the 72 holes at Pete Dye's devilish design tied at 12 under, two strokes clear of Tom Hoge, Akshay Bhatia and Lucas Glover. McIlroy extended his lead to as many as three strokes with six holes to play coming out of the rain delay, but he could not shake Spaun loose.
The 54-hole leader kept his nerve down the stretch and made birdies on Nos. 14 and 16 to pull even as McIlroy made a mistake when he missed the fairway on the par-4 14th leading to bogey. With McIlroy in the clubhouse at 12 under, Spaun was left standing on the golf course with a chance to win the golf tournament, however, when his 30-foot birdie bid fell just short, a playoff was made official.
The playoff will represent the sixth of McIlroy's career. He boasts a 3-2 record in extra time, while Spaun will partake in his first playoff on the PGA Tour. This is the sixth playoff in Players Championship history and the first since Rickie Fowler memorably walked away with the title a decade ago in 2015.
"I've never experienced it before. I don't quite know. But yeah, it's going to be cool to be a part of," McIlroy said. "I guess it's very much just a three-hole match play scenario. That's all it is. Just try to prepare as best I can [Monday] morning. Get a good night's sleep. It's been a very long day for all of us. Yeah, and just try to be as prepared as possible for tomorrow."
T1. J.J. Spaun, Rory McIlroy (-12): McIlroy extended his lead to three with a birdie on No. 12 just as Spaun dropped a shot on No. 11. The title appeared to be in the hands of the Northern Irishman, but Spaun's steady ball striking allowed him to claw back into the tournament. He hit his final seven greens in regulation, including a gem into No. 14 that ultimately shifted the tides and provided a much-needed two-shot swing on that hole. McIlroy missed a 6-foot birdie opportunity on No. 15 and failed to get up-and-down for birdie on No. 16.
T3. Tom Hoge, Akshay Bhatia, Lucas Glover (-10)
T6. Danny Walker, Corey Conners, Bud Cauley (-9)
9. Robert MacIntyre (-8)
T10. Collin Morikawa, Davis Thompson (-7): The wind wreaked havoc on Saturday, and Morikawa was among the many effected. The two-time major champion put nine bogeys on his scorecard in the third round and went from firmly in the mix to out of contention. He made some noise early on Sunday, but an influx of misses from inside 10 feet proved too much to overcome.
T12. Patrick Cantlay, Jake Knapp (-6): Cantlay came out of the gates firing on Sunday and posted a pair of early birdies to climb within three of the lead. That is as close as he would get, however, as a double bogey on No. 7 erased all his hard work, and a dropped shot on the next hole sent him further in the wrong direction. Despite the mistake-riddled end to his tournament, Cantlay collected the best finish of his Players Championship career.
T14. Sepp Straka, Sam Ryder, Alex Smalley, Denny McCarthy, Tommy Fleetwood, Aaron Rai (-5): The American Express winner was one of three players to post an under-par round late on Saturday to pull his name onto the first couple pages of the leaderboard. Straka was unable to carry this momentum into Sunday morning, however, as he played his first six holes in 5 over to drop out of the mix. Still, the big Austrian continues to play some terrific golf as his latest finish represents his seventh top 15 in nine starts this season.
T20. Keegan Bradley, Ryan Fox, Joe Highsmith, Matt McCarty, Daniel Berger, Shane Lowry, Scottie Scheffler, Min Woo Lee, Max McGreevy, Stephan Jaeger (-4): The three-peat had legs heading into the weekend, but a blustery day caused Scheffler to slip up at TPC Sawgrass. The world No. 1 was solid from tee to green on the week, but uncharacteristic course management mistakes and an uncooperative putter did him no favors. He has yet to finish outside the top 25 this season, but his last eight rounds have come between scores of 69 and 73. Solid golf -- not yet spectacular.
"I walk away from this week feeling close," Scheffler said. "I feel like there's some stuff that I need to work on at home, but I feel very close. Overall, I felt like I did some good things this week, felt like I could have done some other things better. But overall don't feel far off by any means. Definitely excited to get home, get a little practice in and get ready for Houston."
He two putts from 75 feet for his par and to get into the clubhouse at 12 under. That means Spaun will need a par to force a three-hole aggregate playoff or a birdie to win. He is currently in the pine straw just right of the fairway.
We saw Patrick Cantlay misplay that shot. We saw Rory McIlroy misplay that shot. J.J. Spaun does not and he gets it up-and-down from left of the green on No. 16 to pull even with Rory McIlroy at 12 under. It's a two-man race with two to go. McIlroy is dry on 17 but up against the collar from about 14 feet.
The leader misses a 6-foot birdie bid on No. 15 which would have given him some much-needed breathing room. J.J. Spaun stuffs one on No. 14 and is dancing on No. 15 and will have 30 feet to match McIlroy at 12 under. Rory misses the fairway on the par-5 16th so whether he goes for it in two is in doubt.
The lead is now down to two with four holes to play. McIlroy misses way right on the par-4 14th and has to lay up to position himself back on the hole. He launches his third to 15 feet and is unable to make his par. His lead is two over J.J. Spaun and Akshay Bhatia who faces 10 feet to get within one on No. 15.
That is how you start the resumption of play. Rory McIlroy rolls in a birdie on No. 12 and J.J. Spaun makes bogey on No. 11. All of a sudden the lead is three for McIlroy with six holes to play. The championship is firmly in his grasp.
After a 4-hour delay, players are starting to get going on the practice facilities for a 5:15 p.m. restart. We have about seven and a half holes to get through for the final group in just about 2 hours or so. They should be able to get this thing in if a playoff is not required, especially since the playoff is a three-hole aggregate.
The horn has been sounded at TPC Sawgrass. The storm has finally reached the Ponte Vedra area and has brought plenty of lightning and thunder with it. Rory McIlroy is in the middle of the fairway on No. 12 at 12 under one stroke ahead of J.J. Spaun and two strokes ahead of Tom Hoge who has hit his approach into the last to roughly 15 feet. He'll have that — whenever they return — to post 11 under.
I think it's a very important two-hole stretch for Rory. He rolls in a 10-foot look on No. 11 to regain the solo lead at 12 under and he will have two birdie holes out in front of him with the short par-4 12th and par-3 13th that has a funnel pin on the front left of the green. McIlroy made bogey on both these holes yesterday.
The co-course record holder needs to roll in another three on the last to post a number that will get everyone thinking. He is currently one behind Spaun and McIlroy at 10 under alongside Danny Walker and Akshay Bhatia.
After a bogey on No. 7, Rory McIlroy makes amends on the very next hole. He hits a 5 iron to just inside 15 feet and cashes in the birdie on the brutal par 3. He is can start running downhill now as he has three real birdie chances in his next four holes. He jumps back into a share with J.J. Spaun at 11 under.
He looks to be the guy up ahead on the golf course that is capable of posting. Morikawa makes the most of the par-4 12th and then stuffs his tee ball into the par-3 13th to 6 feet. He will have that look to get to 9 under and within two of the co-leaders. That'll also get him within one of Rory McIlroy who just dropped a shot on No. 7 after a poor approach from the fairway.
That is the 13th ace on No. 13 at the Players Championship and the first of the 2025 championship. And oh yeah, that is Keegan Bradley's second hole-in-one of the year after making one at the Genesis Invitational. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain is up to 6 under for the championship after that one.
It has not been an easy start for J.J. Spaun, but he is passing the early test. He knocks in another 5-foot par save and remains out ahead of Rory McIlroy and Akshay Bhatia at 12 under. That putter has been his main problem throughout this season, so if it continues to cooperate it is only a good sign of where his nerves might be.
The left hander is rolling early. He knocks in another birdie putt from outside 10 feet with his latest coming from 11 feet on No. 4. That hole has a funnel pin today and presents a great birdie opportunity before players traverse through a difficult portion of the front nine. Bhatia sits one back.
That is a 3-3 start for Rory McIlroy, and he now sits 3 under through his first two holes of the final round. He pays off the closest shot on No. 2 all day as he hits a flighted 4 iron to 10 feet below the hole and cashes in a massive eagle. McIlroy stands at 11 under and one behind J.J. Spaun.
After a tough day in the final pair on Saturday, Akshay Bhatia is looking much more comfortable in the chasing pack. He just rolls in a 15 footer on the par-5 2nd to quickly cut his deficit in half. From four back to two back in a blink of an eye.
After an eight-bogey performance on Saturday, Collin Morikawa is keeping a clean card on Sunday. The two-time major champion has rattled off three birdies in his opening five holes to get to 7 under for the championship and five off the leaders who will be teeing off at the top of the hour.
