Luck of the Irishman

Rory Claims Second PLAYERS Title, and Wins for Third Time Ever on St. Patrick's Day

March 18, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

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March 18, 2025

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Rory McIlroy etched his name into Players Championship history once more, clinching his second title and joins the ranks of Tiger Woods, Scottie Scheffler, and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to win the tournament twice. McIlroy was forced into a 3-hole playoff (the first playoff in 10 years at The PLAYERS) Monday morning by an unlikely opponent in J.J. Spaun who came just 2 inches short of a tournament-winning birdie putt on 18th Sunday evening.

Despite being bothered by a heckler earlier in the week, McIlroy demonstrated mental toughness Monday morning as he recalls being “as nervous as [he] can remember” heading into the playoff.

Those nerves seemed to calm down after delivering a perfect drive on 16 to start the playoff where he would go 1 up on the opening hole. Spaun’s hopes drowned on the iconic par-3 17th, where his tee shot found water, leading to a devastating triple bogey. McIlroy closed out the tournament by finishing the playoff at 1-over in aggregate, three strokes clear of Spaun, to claim the $4.5 million winner’s check.

Rory is off to an impressive start in his 2025 campaign, as he has already captured 2 titles and 2 additional top-20 finishes in his first 4 starts. The confidence is surely there for McIlroy as he chases the illusive career grand-slam with the Masters just 20 days away.

TGL PLAYOFFS HEAT UP

New York Golf Club continued their remarkable turnaround season by upsetting top-seeded Los Angeles Golf Club 6-4 in Monday's TGL semifinals at SoFi Center. The victory, which came after Tommy Fleetwood's heartbreaking 5-foot birdie putt lipped out on the 14th hole, sends NYGC to the TGL Finals Series after starting the season 0-2.

New York will face the winner of tonight’s semifinal between The Bay Golf Club and Atlanta Drive Golf Club, riding a 3-0-1 hot streak in their last four matches. Rickie Fowler delivered his best performance of the season for NYGC, while LAGC's previously undefeated regular season came to a stunning end.

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