McIlroy, Spaun head to 3-hole playoff today for Players title

GOLF ROUNDUP

Rory McIlroy reacts after completing the 18th hole during Sunday’s final round of The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

San Dimas High grad J.J. Spaun reacts after his putt on the 18th green comes up short, forcing a playoff today with Rory McIlroy at The Players Championship in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. photos by Julia Demaree Nikhinson / ap

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The Associated Press

Rory McIlroy built a three-shot lead on the back nine at The Players Championship and unheralded J.J. Spaun didn’t blink.

They wound up tied after a four-hour rain delay and will return this morning for a playoff in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, to decide who wins the richest tournament in golf.

McIlroy needed two putts from 75 feet on the par-4 18th for a 4-under 68. All he could do was wait in the scoring area on Spaun — a product of San Dimas High and San Diego State — who had caught up with a marvelous chip on the par-5 16th and stood over a 30-foot putt for the win.

It stopped inches short, giving Spaun a 72 to match McIlroy at 12-under 276.

They did well to finish in regulation before sunset. The Players has a three-hole aggregate playoff on the most dynamic holes on the TPC Sawgrass — the par-5 16th, the island green on the par-3 17th and the daunting par-4 closing hole.

It will be the first Monday finish since Cameron Smith won in 2022 and the first playoff at The Players since Murrieta Valley High grad’s Rickie Fowler won 10 years ago.

“I’m standing here feeling like I should be going home with the trophy today,” McIlroy said. “But it’s all right. I’ll reset and try to go home with the trophy tomorrow.”

McIlroy faced a four-shot deficit going into the final round and roared into contention with an 8-foot birdie putt and beautiful long iron to 10 feet for eagle on the par-5 second. He took the lead for the first time when Spaun made bogey on the seventh hole. Tom Hoge had to wait out the four-hole delay with a 15-foot birdie putt on the 18th. He returned and missed, posting a 66 and wound up two shots behind. Lucas Glover rallied from a rough front nine for a 71 and joined Hoge and Akshay Bhatia (70).

Bud Cauley, whose thought his career was over from crushing injuries in a 2018 car crash in Ohio, fell back early and steadied himself for a 74. He tied for sixth, giving him more than enough points to fulfill his medical exemption for the rest of the year.

Danny Walker, who has lived in the area the last few years and only got in as an alternate Thursday morning when Jason Day withdrew with illness, shot 70 and tied for sixth with Cauley and Corey Conners (71)

Two-time defending champion Scottie Scheffler was never really in the mix. He went 15 straight holes without a birdie between the third and fourth rounds, made only one birdie on Sunday and closed with a 73 to tie for 20th.

LIV Golf

Joaquin Niemann of Chili played bogey-free for a 6-under 65 to win LIV Golf Singapore by five shots, his second LIV win of the year that moved him to the top of the points list and a step closer to a U.S. Open exemption.

Niemann was tied with Dustin Johnson going into the last round at Sentosa Golf Club. Johnson didn’t make a birdie until the 12th hole and shot 73 to tie for fifth.

Niemann won by five over Brooks Koepka (65). Niemann now has four career LIV victories, one behind Koepka. Ben Campbell (67) finished another shot back.

The Fireballs won their third straight team title.