Rory McIlroy is looking to emulate the likes of Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods during an intense Players Championship play-off.
After a dramatic day on Sunday, where the Northern Irishman let a three-shot lead slip away, McIlroy now faces J.J Spaun in an intense play-off on Monday.
Entering the final round four strokes behind Spaun, he shot into contention with a thrilling birdie-eagle start at TPC Sawgrass.
By the time he reached the turn in 33, he found himself tied for the lead, igniting hope and excitement for what lay ahead.
As the world No. 2 climbed to the top of the leaderboard, a four-hour weather delay loomed due to threatening lightning.
Yet, McIlroy responded powerfully, birdying his first hole after the restart – the 12th – to take a three-stroke lead with just six holes left to play.
However, the journey wasn’t without its hurdles; he bogeyed his next hole and missed crucial opportunities along the closing stretch, ultimately finishing with a solid four-under 68.
Meanwhile, Spaun’s late-game heroics included birdying two of his last five holes, allowing him to match the Northern Irishman at 12 under 276.
Due to earlier delays, there wasn’t enough daylight left for the three-hole play-off, pushing the tournament into an unexpected fifth day.
The two are set to resume their thrilling battle at 9 am local time (1pm GMT) to determine the champion of the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
The winner will receive $4.5 million, the Players Championship isn’t a normal PGA Tour event, and that’s why it has more to offer the winner.
After the round, McIlroy spoke to Sky Sports about how the day had unfolded.
“It’s been a long day; I got off to that great start, and play was called. Once we got back out there, we made the perfect start again with a birdie on 12.
“On the way in, I feel like I gave myself chances to close the door and win this golf tournament, but I didn’t quite do that. We’re going to have to do it the hard way and stay one more night and try to do it tomorrow.
“I just tried to break it down and play a really good six holes. You know, just go out there and give it your all.
“Put all your energy into these six holes, and hopefully that’ll be good enough; it wasn’t quite, but you know I’m looking forward to my head hitting the pillow tonight.
“It would mean an awful lot (to win); there are not many multiple Players champions. Scottie Scheffler has won the last two years, and you know I’ve spoken a lot about the fact of how much I admire Scottie.
“It would be nice to get two like him, two like Tiger Woods too, but I have to put that out of my head and, as I said over there, play three good holes in the morning, and hopefully that’s good enough.”
McIlory won the Players back in 2015 and could become just the eighth person to win the event multiple times.
Scheffler claimed The Players Championship in both 2023 and 2024, making history as the first to win consecutively.
He subsequently secured his second major championship at the 2024 Masters Tournament and brought home the gold medal in the men’s individual tournament at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Conversely, Tiger Woods achieved the Players Championship in 2001 and again twelve years later in 2013, with his second win being the swiftest path to four victories in any season of his career.
The play-off will be a gripping three-hole aggregate showdown between McIlroy and Spaun, spanning the par-five 16th, par-three 17th, and par-four 18th, with sudden death applied if necessary.
This marks the first play-off at The Players since Rickie Fowler’s victory in 2015 and the first Monday finish since Cameron Smith’s thrilling success in 2022.
