Rory McIlroy was asking on Sunday night for five good swings to win the THE PLAYERS Championship. He was referring, of course, to the drive and second shot on holes 16 and 18 and the drive on 17. With those five good swings, he was confident he could win the playoff against J.J. Spaun this Monday. The reality is that he only needed three to lift the golden trophy for the second time in his career.
Rory didn’t need more because his rival handed it to him on a plate. Spaun didn’t hit a clean shot throughout the playoff, and curiously, his best shot ended up in the lake on 17, ultimately digging his own grave. It was like waking up from a dream with a bucket of water in the face.
McIlroy played the 16th very well. A textbook drive to the centre of the fairway, a great second shot, and an eagle putt. It didn’t go in, but he made the birdie and took the lead early on, taking advantage of Spaun’s struggles. The Los Angeles native missed the fairway, hit a poor second shot into the bunker, and finished with a weak recovery.
The conditions weren’t particularly challenging. The wind blew, but less than at many moments on Sunday afternoon. However, it was cold, and the direction changed. Perhaps that was what unsettled Spaun on 17, the famous island par 3 by Pete Dye and his wife Alice. That, and being one behind Rory, who, with another great shot, put it on the green eight metres from the flag for birdie. There was pressure, and the American felt he needed to go for more than par.
His swing was splendid, but he overshot the green and ended up in the water. His face was a picture. He couldn’t believe it. He thought he had nailed the shot, but not at all. Pressure, adrenaline, call it what you will. The truth is he had never been in a similar situation before, playing one-on-one against McIlroy to win the most important tournament in the world after the four majors. You have to put yourself in his shoes.
That shot from Spaun was the end. He still made a poor approach from the drop zone and finished the hole with a horrendous triple bogey. McIlroy, as if not wanting to rub it in, signed for a bogey with a three-putt. Even so, he went to the 18th with a three-shot lead. THE END.
Rory played the 18th for bogey, which was enough to win, and that’s what he did. Meanwhile, Spaun didn’t even have to take his bogey putt after another poor drive, a weak second shot, and a mediocre third. Victory for Rory at half throttle with a total of +1 over three holes compared to Spaun’s minimum +4, as the bogey putt on 18, which he didn’t even take, wasn’t conceded.
McIlroy claims his second victory of the season after the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am and firmly presents his candidacy to complete his personal grand slam next April in Augusta. It’s also his second win at THE PLAYERS. He joins the one he achieved in 2019, just before the pandemic. Additionally, at 35, he is the oldest golfer to achieve it in the last 12 years, since Tiger Woods. It’s his 28th victory on the PGA Tour. He moves into 20th place on the all-time wins list of the American circuit. He also gets a little closer to Scottie Scheffler in the world ranking. He remembered the World Number One during the trophy presentation ceremony. “He has made us all a bit better. I knew I had to play better to be at his level and compete,” he said at TPC Sawgrass just after collecting the trophy.
The stats with Rory are always overwhelming, although what thrilled him the most, by far, was winning on St. Patrick’s Day, the patron saint of Ireland. “It’s the second time I’ve won on St. Patrick’s Day at THE PLAYERS. It’s my lucky charm,” he confessed with a grin from ear to ear. And now imagine how Scheffler is going to work over the next three weeks to be at his peak for the Masters… Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy ride.
