JJ Spaun searched for his second career victory on the PGA Tour when he stepped up for his putt on Hole 18 during a wild last round of the Players Championship on a rainy Sunday.
A few more rotations on his putt and he would have won it all.
Instead, he is caught up against Rory McIlroy for a Monday morning, three-hole playoffs to determine the winner of this signature tournament.
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JJ Spaun responds to missing out on his putt to win during the final round of the Players Championship Golf Tournament at TPC Sawgrass. (Jeff Swinger-Preferred Pictures)
McIlroy and Spaun are both on 12-Under after their last rounds on the Sunday-a long day, watching a four-hour rainfall.
The round was forced to be delayed because of the weather and lightning in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, which was expected to be considered the tournament moving up to tee times to avoid a potential expansion for Monday.
However, it was inevitable with the extent of the delay – 13.15 to 17.15 – and how the golfer ended up finishing their last rounds.
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For McIlroy, he was first to finish his 18 holes, and he hoped that a miracle 74-foot putt would result in a birdie on his last hole. He had the right speed, but he missed it well to the left and eventually cleaned up to par with a 4-under 68 to get him able to win the tournament.
McIlroy went to sign his scorecard while so carefully what Spaun did in the group behind him.
Spaun entered this last round on Sunday hoping to send another under-couple round, but he struggled to get started despite watching 12-under his name in his tee time.
He began day 2-over before bird hole 9 to place a 37 on the front nine holes. But he would bogey at 12 and forced the 2-over back on scorecard before finally saw some golf shots go his way.
Rory McIlroy stands on the eighteenth green after missing his first putt during the last round of Players Championship Golf Tournament on TPC Sawgrass. (Jeff Swinger-Preferred Pictures)
Spaun would Birdieholes 14 and 16 to eventually return to 12-Under for the tournament and on the way to the iconic TPC Sawgrass Island Green on 17. His tee shot, however, was conservatively hit to the middle of the green instead of seeking the signature far right pin location on Sunday.
Spaun would two-putt and get his couple, to understand his fate could somehow be sealed on hole 18.
When McIlroy saw from the clubhouse, Spaun’s last tee shot of the day it was far into the straw on the right side of the fairway, which just herring there after trying to hold on to that rough.
However, despite sliding on the grass, Spaun was able to hit a nice approach shot to give himself a good look at a birdie from 20-plus feet out.
Rory McIlroy and JJ Spaun go head-to-head in a 7 p.m. (IMagn)
As fans swarmed around the 18th green, Spaun entered his putt and put a good blow to it as the ball rolled true against the hole. But it didn’t have enough juice to fall just a few rotations short, and spaun couldn’t believe it.
With a tap-in couple, playoffs were set for Monday, and it will be holes 16, 17 and 18 to determine the winner of this year’s player championship.
It’s a David vs. Goliath with regard to PGA Tour careers as McIlroy owns 27 tour victories for Spauns.
