A perfect swing, a shot that hit the bull’s eye, but fate was not on JJ Spaun’s side on the challenging 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass. The American golfer’s dream of winning The Players Championship was shattered in a playoff with Rory McIlroy.
After the final round, JJ Spaun and Rory McIlroy shared the lead, sending the tournament into a playoff. This time, many eyes were on Spaun – a name that was not as big as McIlroy, who already had a major title. A shocking scenario could have happened, but then… Spaun “stumbled” on the brink between the championship and the runner-up.
Spaun was already a stroke behind McIlroy on the first playoff hole. But the fateful shot came on the 17th hole, a par 3 with a treacherous island green. Spaun hit a seemingly perfect iron, but the ball didn’t stop the way he wanted. It flew into the wind, skimmed the green, and landed in the water, resulting in a bitter triple bogey. While McIlroy took advantage of the opportunity to win, Spaun sadly dropped out of the race as runner-up.
Despite the loss, Spaun has no regrets about his decision, saying he had “100 percent confidence” in his shot on the 17th hole.
“I had complete confidence in my club choice and the way I wanted to hit it. When I checked TrackMan, the wind on the driving range showed the ball flying about 128 yards – which is a perfect distance for that club,” Spaun explained. “But the ball was coming through the wind a lot stronger than I expected. As it was in the air, I was praying it would land safely. But then Gary (Spaun’s caddie) said it was in the water. I did everything I needed to do, but this time, the results weren’t in my favor.”
“It’s hard not to feel down, but I try to just look at the positives. I put myself in a position to compete and have a chance to win. If someone told me before the tournament that I would have a playoff with Rory McIlroy, I would have said yes,” Spaun said.
Despite losing the title, Spaun can still be proud that this is one of the biggest achievements of his career, along with the 2022 Valero Texas Open championship. Spaun did not let the sadness linger. In fact, this was a promising season for him. In addition to the runner-up at The Players Championship, the American golfer also had a strong start with a T3 position at the Sony Open in Hawaii and a runner-up at the Cognizant Classic.
Relive the playoff series between JJ Spaun and Rory McIlroy in the video below!
