Skip to content

McIlroy wins The Players Championship

Richard Heathcote / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Rory McIlroy carded a 2-under 70 on Sunday to win The Players Championship by one shot over Jim Furyk, finishing at 16-under for the tournament.

It wasn't easy, as McIlroy's final round got off to a shaky start. He made an unforced double-bogey on No. 4 after dunking a 124-yard wedge shot into the water and found himself buried on the leaderboard with plenty of names to chase.

However, unlike previous final rounds this season, McIlroy showed resiliency. He added six birdies to his card, including four on the back nine, and picked up crucial shots on each of his final three par 5s - a must to come out on top at The Players.

The 29-year-old's title puts him in elite company. He's only the third player to claim 15 PGA Tour wins including four majors before the age of 30 since 1934, joining Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus, according to 15th Club's Justin Ray.

McIlroy was able to pull past Furyk - who posted 15-under for the clubhouse lead - with an incredible day of ball-striking.

The 48-year-old Furyk shot an impressive 5-under 67 on Sunday despite difficult weather conditions. He also shot 64 in Round 2 and nearly became the oldest Players Champion ever in his 23rd start at TPC Sawgrass, according to Ray.

Eddie Pepperell and Jhonattan Vegas provided the day's fireworks en route to tying for third. Pepperell dropped a 50-foot birdie putt on No. 17 to get to 14-under. A group later, Vegas rolled in his own birdie, except his was from 70 feet, the longest made putt ever recorded on the island green, according to Golf Channel's Rex Hoggard.

Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker, and Tommy Fleetwood rounded out the top seven at 13-under.

Third-round leader Jon Rahm faltered on Day 4. He shot a 4-over 76 to finish in a tie for 12th.

Tiger Woods ended at 6-under for the event, tying for 30th.

Final Leaderboard

Finish Player R1 R2 R3 R4 TOT
1 R. McIlroy 67 65 70 70 -16
2 J. Furyk 71 64 71 67 -15
T3 E. Pepperell 72 68 68 66 -14
T3 J. Vegas 72 69 67 66 -14
T5 D. Johnson 69 68 69 69 -13
T5 B. Snedeker 69 72 65 69 -13
T5 T. Fleetwood 65 67 70 73 -13
T8 J. Rose 74 66 68 68 -12
T8 J. Day 70 66 68 72 -12
T12 J. Rahm 69 68 64 76 -11
T30 T. Woods 70 71 72 69 -6

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox