PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. >> Turns out Rory McIlroy needed only three good swings to win The Players Championship on Monday in a playoff over J.J. Spaun.

McIlroy blasted his opening tee shot and hit a pitching wedge to the par-5 16th to set up birdie, and then he found the island green at the par-3 17th with a 9-iron into a cold, crackling wind that effectively gave him a second title at golf’s richest event at TPC Sawgrass.

Spaun posed over his 8-iron until he heard the groans of the spectators lined up behind the 17th green. His ball cut through the wind and sailed clear over the green into the water, leading to triple bogey that ended his hopes.

McIlroy became the eighth multiple winner of The Players Championship, having also won in 2019. And it was the first time in his career that he won twice heading into the Masters. He won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month.

Colleges

NCAA agrees to lift name, image and likeness recruitment ban >> The NCAA will abandon a rule that stopped athletes from negotiating potentially lucrative name, image and likeness deals before enrolling in a specific college, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti said as he announced a settlement in a lawsuit over the policy.

Skrmetti and a handful of attorneys general had sued the NCAA over its name, image and likeness recruiting ban, arguing the rule violated antitrust laws.

The proposed settlement must still be approved by a federal judge.

Duke remains at No. 1 in AP poll >> Duke remained atop The Associated Press Top 25 men’s college basketball poll a day after the committee that selects the 68-team field for the NCAA Tournament went with Auburn as the No. 1 overall seed.

The Blue Devils (31-3) earned 49 of 59 first-place votes in the latest poll after sweeping the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season and tournament titles. Houston also stayed at No. 2 while collecting six-first-place votes, followed by Southeastern Conference Tournament champion Florida and then Auburn — which had spent a national-best eight weeks at No. 1 in the AP Top 25 this season.

The Gators and Tigers each earned the remaining two first-place votes, and the top four teams of the AP Top 25 all earned 1-seeds for March Madness with Sunday night’s bracket unveiling.

UCLA and South Carolina headline AP poll >> UCLA remained No. 1 in The Associated Press women’s basketball Top 25 poll one day after the Bruins earned the top overall seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history.

The Bruins head into March Madness with two losses, both coming to Southern Cal during the regular season. UCLA received 19 first place votes from the 32-member national media panel. South Carolina, the defending national champion, garnered eight first-place ballots as was No. 2.

UConn was third after winning the Big East Tournament championship over Creighton in the only game with ranked teams last week.

USC and Texas rounded out the top five and are also No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament that starts later this week.

Women’s basketball

Rose beat Vinyl in Unrivaled championship game >> Brittney Sykes knocked down the game-winning free-throw and Rose beat Vinyl in the Unrivaled championship game, capping the inaugural season of the women’s 3-on-3 basketball league.

Each player on the championship-winning club will receive $50,000 in prize money — part of Unrivaled’s goal of compensating its participants more than any almost other professional women’s sports league.

Teams play to a “winning score” determined by adding 11 points to the squad that is leading after three quarters.

Monday’s target score was 62. Sykes went to the line with her team holding a 61-54 lead.

NBA

76ers forward George will miss the rest of the season >> Paul George will miss the rest of the season to recover from his injuries, ending a difficult first year in Philadelphia for the nine-time All-Star.

The 76ers announced that George had received injections in his left adductor muscle and left knee, following consultations with specialists.

Philadelphia carried a 23-44 record into Monday night’s game at Houston. Its last game of the regular season is on April 13.

Soccer

Messi out of World Cup qualifiers due to apparent injury >> Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil over the next eight days due to an apparent muscle injury.

The 37-year-old Messi was not included in the 25-man squad announced on Monday by coach Lionel Scaloni.

Argentine media reported Messi suffered a sore left thigh on Sunday during Inter Miami’s 2-1 victory over Atlanta United in Major League Soccer.