The final round of THE PLAYERS Championship is underway at TPC Sawgrass on Sunday and DK Network will be providing the results, live updates and notable highlights for today’s event in this live blog.
Here’s the latest:
Rory McIlroy defeats J.J. Spaun in Monday’s playoff to win THE PLAYERS Championship
In a three-hole aggregate score playoff Monday morning at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy defeated Spaun to win THE PLAYERS Championship, marking McIlroy’s second win at TPC Sawgrass and 28th PGA TOUR victory of his career. The Irishman went birdie, bogey and bogey in his three holes of the playoff, while Spaun went par, triple bogey and then was eliminated once McIroy converted bogey on the final hole.
Heading into THE PLAYERS Championship, McIlroy carried the second-best odds to win the event on DraftKings Sportsbook at +1000. Notably, only 3% of the bets and only 3% of the handle were on the 35-year-old to win. For the tournament, McIlroy finished fifth in SG APP and 10th in SGP. While it was disappointing playoff for Spaun, his runner-up at THE PLAYERS Championship is the third of his career and his third top-10 in eight starts this season.
Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun headed for a playoff!
After 72 holes, THE PLAYERS Championship will need extra holes to crown the 51st champion at the event.
J.J. Spaun made a par on the final hole and finished the day at even-par after three birdies and three bogeys. That round was just enough to force a playoff with Rory McIlroy, who started the day red hot with a birdie-eagle start and had three birdies and two bogeys the rest of the day for a Final Round 68.
The three-hole aggregate playoff will begin at 9:00 a.m. ET on Monday. The two players will play No. 16, the famous island green at No. 17, and No. 18 to close out the event. If the score remains tied after three holes, the players will go to a sudden death playoff after that.
Tom Hoge, Akshay Bhatia and Lucas Glover finished tied for third two shots behind Spaun and McIlroy. Danny Walker, Corey Conners and Bud Cauley tied for sixth, with Robert MacIntyre alone in ninth place. Davis Thompson and Collin Morikawa rounded out the top 10, five shots out of the playoff.
Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun remain tied
Rory McIlroy at No. 18 and J.J. Spaun at No. 17 each made par to stay at -12 for the week. Spaun still has one hole remaining, but it’s worth mentioning that the playoff format at THE PLAYERS Championship is unique.
If two players are tied, they go into a three-hole aggregate playoff: Nos. 16, 17 and 18. With daylight waning, the playoff may end up extending the tournament to Monday if that’s the way Spuan’s final hole plays out.
Spaun’s tee shot did wander into the pine straw, though, so he has some work left to do to force a possible playoff.
J.J. Spaun reels in Rory
After facing a three-shot deficit just after the restart, J.J. Spaun has played very solid golf. He hit a tight approach and birdied No. 14, the hardest hole of the day. Just ahead of him, Rory McIlroy bogeyed that hole setting up a two shot swing.
Rory failed to convert a birdie on the par-5 No. 16, but Spaun chipped to within nine inches and converted the birdie to tie Rory for the lead.
McIlroy made par on the island green at No. 17. He heads to No. 18 at -12 as Spaun heads to No. 17 at -12 as well. Get ready for a fantastic finish!
Rory safely on the island green with the lead
Rory McIlroy stepped up to the tee box on No. 17 and took aim for the famed island green of TPC Sawgrass with a one-stroke lead. Rory’s playing partner Alex Smalley hit it into the water after his shot rolled along the wood. Rory stepped up, though, and knocked it to within 15 feet.
Before safely arriving on the island, Rory made par on the par-5 No. 16 which J.J. Spaun was playing right behind him with a chance to birdie and tie for the lead.
Spaun’s not gone, but Bhatia can’t convert
After Rory McIlroy dropped a shot at No. 14, J.J. Spaun hit an incredible approach shot and birdied the same hole to get back to within one shot. He parred No. 15 as well to keep the pressure on Rory, who was playing from the rough on the par-5 No. 16.
Akshay Bhatia had a shot to close to within a shot as well but missed a short birdie putt and headed to the island green two strokes off the lead. Bhatia and Hoge are at -10, Spaun at -11 and Rory maintaining the lead at -12.
Rory drops a shot on No. 14
Rory McIlroy took a three-shot lead into his final six holes of the Final Round of THE PLAYERS Championship, but don’t take anything for granted just yet. TPC Sawgrass flexed its muscle as Rory’s tee shot went way right and he was forced to chip out onto the fairway. He limited the damage with just a bogey to fall back to -12.
Two shots back of McIlroy are Akshay Bhatia, J.J. Spaun, and Tom Hoge, who leads in the clubhouse. Three strokes back, Robert MacIntyre and Danny Walker are tied for fifth.
Ahead of the leaders, Min Woo Lee drained a 50-foot birdie putt on the island green of No. 17. Lee led at the end of the day on Friday but struggled Saturday. He’ll leave with this great memory from his Sunday:
Brilliant putt from Min Woo Lee on the 17th👏 pic.twitter.com/OFbFRUNWjG
— Sky Sports Golf (@SkySportsGolf) March 16, 2025
Rory is rolling! Tom Hoge posts the number to chase (as of 5:24 p.m. ET)
Shortly after the restart, Rory McIlroy took command of the event. He converted his second straight birdie (four hours apart) to get to -13 for the tournament and -5 on the day.
RORY PICKS UP WHERE HE LEFT OFF WITH A BIRDIE!
Three-shot lead. 👀 pic.twitter.com/sDKEfzBzZz
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) March 16, 2025
In his first shot after they delay, J.J. Spaun oddly played out of turn instead of letting Bud Cauley play first. He mishit the shot anyway and ended up with bogey on No. 11.
Tom Hoge couldn’t convert a 17-foot birdie to finish his round after the restart, but he posted the low score in the clubhouse at -10 with a 66 (-6) on Sunday.
The Final Round has resumed (as of 5:14 p.m. ET)
The weather delay is over after four hours of waiting for what should be an exciting finish. Sunset is at 7:34 p.m. at Ponte Verda Beach. The final group will restart at the 11th hole, so it’ll be a very close call whether the event will finish on Sunday or have to go to a Monday finish.
Just as a reset–Rory is out front by one shot at -12 as play resumes. J.J. Spaun is one shot back at -11 with a three-way tie for third with Tom Hoge, Akshay Bhatia and Danny Walker two strokes off Rory’s pace.
The Final Round will resume at 5:15 p.m ET (as of 4:42 p.m. ET)
The inclement weather has cleared in the Ponte Verda Beach area and the final round will resume at 5:15 PM EST.
Play suspended due to inclement weather (as of 1:15 p.m. ET)
Due to lightening in the Ponte Verde Beach area, play was suspended at THE PLAYERS Championship at 1:15 PM EST on Sunday.
McIlroy takes the lead (as of 1:11 p.m. ET)
With a birdie on the hole 11 par five, McIlroy has taken a one-shot lead and sits all alone atop the leaderboard at -12.
Bhatia falls out of lead (as of 12:52 p.m. ET)
Bhatia started his back nine with a bogey on hole 10 and he now sits at -10, which is one shot back of McIlroy and Spaun. The latter moved back up to -11 after closing his front nine with a birdie on hole 9.
McIlroy and Bhatia take the lead (as of 12:17 p.m. ET)
Spaun recorded his second bogey of the day on hole 8 and he has moved down to -10. Meanwhile, McIlroy and Bhatia are both coming off birdies as near they near the end of their front nines and sit in a tie for the lead at -11.
Spaun drops a shot (as of 11:43 a.m. ET)
Spaun has carded a bogey on the fifth hole, bringing him down to -11 for the tournament. Following this, we now have a three-way for first between Spaun, McIlroy and Bhatia at THE PLAYERS Championship.
Keegan Bradley aces 13 (as of 11:26 a.m. ET)
After carding back-to-back even par 72s on Friday and Saturday, Bradley has caught fire Sunday. The former FedEx Cup champion is -4 through 13 holes, including an ace on hole 13, which is his second hole-in-one of the season. Bradley now sits at -6 and T14 on the leaderboard.
McIlroy and Bhatia off to hot starts (as of 11:14 a.m. ET)
Spaun remains even on the day and continues to lead by one shot at -12, but both McIlroy and Bhatia are only one shot back and are making charges during the final round. Bhatia has racked up three birdies already in only five holes, while McIlroy is also -3 through five with one birdie and one eagle.
Leaders (as of 10:30 a.m. ET)
J.J. Spaun leads THE PLAYERS Championship at -12 and he just began his final round with a par. Bud Cauley trails Spaun by one shot, while Akshay Bhatia and Alex Smalley are two shots back at -10. Bhatia has gotten off to a hot start on Sunday, birdieing each of his first two holes. Trailing by only three strokes and very much alive to win this event are Rory McIlroy and Lucas Glover. With the wind picking up at TPC Sawgrass, we should be in store for an eventful final round.
Be sure to check back to DK Network throughout the day for further updates on the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship!
