Players Championship highlights: Best moments from Rory McIlroy's playoff win against J.J. Spaun
Cameron Jourdan- Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun will compete in a three-hole aggregate playoff for the 2025 Players Championship title.
- The playoff, starting on Monday at 9 a.m. ET, was delayed due to rain on Sunday.
- If a tie remains after the three-hole playoff, sudden death will commence on the 17th hole.
Rory McIlroy is a two-time Players champion.
The 35-year-old from Northern Ireland earned his 28th PGA Tour victory Monday morning, beating J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff to win the 2025 Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy birdied the par-5 16th, but Spaun's undoing was hitting is tee shot into the water on the par-3 17th and making triple. In the end, it was McIlroy's tournament for the taking.
Follow along below for live updates and highlights from the playoff at the Players Championship.
Players Championship playoff scores, Rory McIlroy wins
Here's a look at live leaderboard from the playoff.
Rory McIlroy: +1 thru 18
J.J. Spaun: +3 thru 17 (DNF)
Hole 18 playoff updates
Rory McIlroy is one hole away from his 28th PGA Tour title. He has three shots to work with, too.
Rory pulls driver into the wind, and it starts up the right and moves right. He's well right of the trees over by the cartpath. Interesting choice considering his advantage, but he does have shots in hand.
Spaun is next, takes driver. He also hits a slice to the right and it hits into the hill right of the cath path and rolls back toward the asphalt.
Spaun has 219 yards to the green while Rory has 168. Both have to deal with the trees on the right side of the fairway. "Spaun is just dangling on the precipice here," Dan Hicks says as Spaun inspects his ball.
Spaun tops his second shot, but it tumbles through the pine straw and out into the fairway. McIlroy is also going to hit a low punch back into the fairway, and they'll be side-by-side for their third shots.
Spaun hits first, and his shot finds the green but rolls onto the fringe close to the water. McIlroy, from a similar distance about 140 away, needs a shot on the green and the tournament is his. He hits a brilliant shot, on the same level to about 10 feet. Rory McIlroy is going to be a two-time Players champion.
Spaun hits first and his putt comes up about 8 feet short. Rory is up next, and his putt misses low and leaves a couple feet for bogey. He knocks it in and is officially a two-time Players champion.
Hole 17 playoff updates
What a different hole this is today than it was over the weekend. Hitting into the wind instead of downwind. Pin tucked in the right corner, aka the Rickie Fowler pin.
Rory pulls 9-iron, which putting coach Brad Faxon says normally goes 165. He finds the green, backside and will have 29 feet for birdie.
Spaun next, he pulls 8-iron and hits a cut. He flies the green and finds the water. What a mistake.
Spaun heads to the drop zone for his third. He has to try to get in for bogey and then hope Rory makes a mistake on 18, or this thing is over. His third finds the green but spins back to the front and bumps up against the collar. A horrible position.
Spaun will hit his fourth first, with 42 feet between him and the cup but no direct line. Even a double here would be impressive. He has 10 feet for double after his fourth.
Rory has had so much happen since he hit his tee shot. 29 feet, and he needs to lag it down there for a tap-in and walk to 18 tee. He barely taps it and the ball almost goes in the hole, but it runs well past, leaving him a lengthy 9-foot tester back into the wind for par.
Spaun leaves his double attempt high, so he taps in for triple 6 on the par-3 17th. Disaster.
McIlroy is not in for par, however, but even with a bogey, Rory would take a three-shot lead to the 18th. He steps in, putting straight into his shadow. Confident stroke but it misses left, and he taps in for bogey.
Hole 16 playoff updates
Rory McIlroy hits first. He pounds a driver up the left side and it carries 322 yards and finds the fairway.
J.J. Spaun is next, and he also pulls driver. It's lost to the right and finds the rough. Not a great start for Spaun.
Spaun has 213 yards to the hole from the right rough. Rory has 177 yards from the fairway. Downwind approach shot, same pins as Sunday's final round, so front right on the par-5 hole.
Spaun's lie is "not nearly as bad as it could be," per Jim "Bones" Mackay. Spaun's approach barely carries the water but finds land and bounces into the bunker short of the green. "Pretty close call there," Dan Hicks said.
Rory is next, has a wedge. He finds the green, pin high but he doesn't find the slope and will have a tricky downhill left-to-right slider for eagle. Spaun is in a good spot to get up and down for birdie.
Spaun hits first from the bunker, and he catches it heavy. He finds the green but will have a lengthy birdie attempt. His first greenside bunker shot of the week, per Kevin Kisner.
Rory steps off his eagle attempt because a big gust of wind, then he steps in and knocks it down the hill. It doesn't break much and rolls past the hole, and he'll have a tester for birdie. Spaun has 22 feet, Rory has 5.
J.J.'s birdie attempt is up first. He leaves it short, but not sure it was online if it would've got there.
Rory next. He pours in the birdie putt. Great start for Rory. Spaun then taps in. Advantage Rory after one hole.
Rory McIlroy, J.J. Spaun's warm-up routines
Our Adam Schupak is on the ground and has been watching both players warm up. Here are his observations:
Monday morning weather conditions
The weather is completely different than it was Sunday. Much cooler and the wind is out of the north instead of the south. Another challenge for McIlroy and Spaun.
Who's going to win the Players?
Twenty minutes until go time. Who's your pick?
What is the playoff format for the Players Championship?
According to the PGA Tour:
If there is still a tie, the sudden-death playoff will continue at No. 16 and then 17 and 18.
Players tied for the lead after 72 holes will settle the Players in a three-hole aggregate playoff. This format was instituted in 2014 after the tournament had used a sudden-death playoff format in previous years.
The three-hole playoff will use players' total scores from TPC Sawgrass' famed trio of closing holes: Nos. 16, 17 and 18.
If there’s still a tie after those three holes, the playoff will move into sudden-death format. Sudden death will start on the island-green 17th before proceeding to No. 18 if necessary.
What are the playoff records for Rory McIlroy, J.J. Spaun?
Mcllroy, who has 27 PGA Tour wins, is 3-2 in playoffs. His last playoff was at 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans, a team event he played with Shane Lowry. His last individual playoff win was the 2020 World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions when he defeated Xander Schauffele. Spaun has one career PGA Tour win in 227 starts and has never gone to a playoff.
How to watch the 2025 Players Championship playoff
The Monday playoff will start at 9 a.m. ET on Golf Channel on TV and be live streamed on Peacock.
Players Championship prize money
The winner Monday will take home $4.5 million, but it was a big payday for numerous players in the field.