The playoff was only three holes. Rory McIlroy needed only three swings. And yet his victory Monday over J.J. Spaun in The Players Championship revealed so much about the state of his game and the cruel nature of the notorious TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy delivered an early knockout against J.J. Spaun with his best drive of the week that set up a simple birdie, followed by a three-quarter 9-iron into a cold, cackling wind that found land on the island green at the par-3 17th.

“By no means did I have my best stuff this week,” McIlroy said after becoming the eighth multiple winner of The Players. “But I was still able to win one of the biggest tournaments in the world. That’s a huge thing.”

It’s the first time in his career he has won twice going into the Masters, the major that for more than a decade has kept him from joining golf’s most elite group with the career Grand Slam.

Spaun thought he had the perfect answer until he saw his 8-iron sail over the island on the second playoff hole, ending his hopes of the biggest win of his career.

UNRIVALED LEAGUE

Sykes’ game-winner helps Rose win it all

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 almost any other professional women’s sports league.

Unrivaled, founded by Napheesa Collier and fellow WNBA star Breanna Stewart, gives players an average salary of more than $220,000, which is close to the maximum base salary in the WNBA.

Sykes had 21 points for Rose in the championship game and drew an and-1 on the last play of the game, which set up the winning free throw.

NBA

76ers forward George out rest of 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.

“Following the procedure, George is medically unable to play and will be out for at least six weeks,” the team said in its statement.

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

BRIEFLY

College basketball >> Officials overbooked the men’s National Invitation Tournament bracket, inviting South Alabama when they believed UC Riverside was unable to play, then rescinding the offer.

PHWL >> Detroit tried to improve its chances of landing an expansion team, drawing 14,288 fans Sunday night to break the attendance record for a professional women’s hockey game in the United States as New York beat Minnesota 4-1 at Little Caesars Arena.

NCAA >> 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.

Soccer >> Lionel Messi will miss Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers against Uruguay and Brazil over the next eight days because of an injury to his adductor.

— From news services