It may have taken three extra holes on Monday morning, but Rory McIlroy is officially The Players Champion after defeating J.J. Spaun.
The victory in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, marks McIlroy’s second of the season, as he also won at Pebble Beach. It is not hyperbolic to say that he is having the best season of any golfer in the world at the moment, even if Phil Mickelson disagrees.
This win at TPC Sawgrass also marks McIlroy’s second victory at The Players. He won this tournament in 2019.
This puts Rory in an exclusive club for players who have won The Players multiple times. McIlroy is officially the eighth player on this list.
Players to win The Players multiple times:
- Jack Nicklaus: 1974, 1976, 1978
- Fred Couples: 1984, 1996
- Steve Elkington: 1991, 1997
- Hal Sutton: 1983, 2000
- Davis Love III: 1992, 2003
- Tiger Woods: 2001, 2013
- Scottie Scheffler: 2023, 2024
Six years between titles may sound like a lot, but it is the smallest gap between any of the eight players outside Scottie Scheffler and Jack Nicklaus. The Golden Bear is the only player to win the event three times, but Scheffler is the only one to successfully defend his title. Incidentally, Rory’s win on Monday ended Scheffler’s bid for a three-peat.
You can argue that Monday’s victory is Rory’s biggest on Tour since he last won The Players, especially if you exclude his Tour Championship win in 2022. But he has been so close at so many big events since, most notably the 2022 Open Championship and 2024 U.S. Open. Seeing him slam the door shut was a welcome sight for sore eyes.
Rory McIlroy: 1st European player to win The Players Championship multiple times
1st player to win The Players multiple times on St. Patrick’s Day
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) March 17, 2025
The Masters Tournament is about a month away, and McIlroy will have some serious buzz heading into it, more than usual, thanks to this win. Augusta National remains the last of the four majors Rory needs to complete the career grand slam.
Maybe this really is the year.
