Rory McIlroy’s shot at his biggest solo win since hoisting the Players Championship trophy in 2019 hangs in the balance—and J.J. Spaun, fueled by a restless night, is the unlikely obstacle in his path. As the sun dipped below the horizon at TPC Sawgrass, a tense, storm-delayed final round left the four-time major champ and the self-described journeyman deadlocked, with nothing to split them after a rollercoaster day.

Now, it all comes down to a Monday morning playoff over the Stadium Course’s legendary closing trio of holes. For McIlroy, the stakes are sky-high. Another gut-wrenching loss—this time to the world No. 57, a one-time PGA Tour winner who nearly lost his card last year—would sting like salt in a wound that’s already carved deep. Missed birdie looks on 15 and 16 didn’t help, and the scars of past collapses still linger.

But if McIlroy can pull it off, he’ll roll into Augusta next month with back-to-back heavyweight wins under his belt and some long-overdue redemption in his pocket. He had a three-shot lead on the back nine after a three-hour storm delay, only to see it slip away. From the scorer’s hut, in a moment that echoed his Pinehurst meltdown, he watched Spaun line up a 31-footer to steal the title outright. The American’s putt teased the cup but refused to drop, leaving Spaun crumpled in disbelief—and McIlroy with a lifeline.

The Players Championship has never lacked for drama, and this finish is pure theater. Who’ll claim the crown on Monday? Stay tuned as McIlroy and Spaun battle it out at golf’s fiercest proving ground.

Rory McIlroy came agonizingly close to lifting the Players Championship trophy on Sunday, only to settle for a Monday showdown. “I feel like I had a chance to go home with the trophy tonight, but I’ll get a good night’s sleep and reset and try to win it tomorrow,” said McIlroy after carding a gritty four-under 68. “I’m happy to be in the position that I am, but also I feel like I had chances there on the back nine to close the door, and I didn’t quite do that.”

Now, he’s gearing up for his first taste of a playoff at TPC Sawgrass. “I’ve never experienced [sleeping on a play-off] before, but it’s going to be cool to be a part of,” McIlroy added. “I guess it’s very much just a three-hole match-play scenario. That’s all it is. I’ll just try to prepare as best I can tomorrow morning and get a good night’s sleep. It’s been a very long day for all of us. Yeah, and just try to be as prepared as possible for tomorrow.” Facing J.J. Spaun over the Stadium Course’s brutal closing stretch, it’s a high-stakes sprint to the finish.

McIlroy’s day started under gray skies and a looming storm threat, four shots back of Spaun as tee times shifted earlier. But he ignited the round with a birdie-eagle combo that erased most of the gap in a flash—30 minutes later, he was just one behind. Riding the wave, he snagged the solo lead with a birdie at 11 before the weather horn halted play. Now, after a long, wild Sunday, it all comes down to Monday’s finale.

A three-hour storm delay stirred up familiar ghosts for Rory McIlroy, but he shook them off with a fiery restart. From the heart of the 12th fairway, he stuck a pinpoint approach for an easy birdie. Meanwhile, J.J. Spaun faced a nightmare 60-yard bunker shot and couldn’t escape with par, handing McIlroy a three-shot edge.

That cushion didn’t last. At the 14th, McIlroy’s wayward drive landed him in the pines, forcing a sideways chip-out, while Spaun, playing just behind, pounced with a gorgeous approach that set up a gimme par to slash the gap to one. Akshay Bhatia had a window to join the fray, but the 23-year-old’s putter went ice-cold, keeping it a two-man duel.

The par-five 16th—where McIlroy’s career total sits at 30 under—beckoned as the perfect birdie spot to seal the deal. Instead, his drive buried itself in the rough, his second shot limped left of the green, and a delicate pitch left him 11 feet short. The putt slid by, another miss in a clutch moment. With nerves crackling, he marched to the treacherous 17th, the island green looming. His playing partner, Alex Smalley, splashed into the drink, but McIlroy held firm, firing a beauty that gave him a long look at birdie.

The pressure cooker at TPC Sawgrass hit new heights on the 16th. J.J. Spaun nearly chipped in from nearly the same spot McIlroy had just played, the crowd’s roar signaling trouble for the world No. 2. McIlroy, wrestling with a brutal lie against the rough’s collar, watched his putt fade weak, and he swatted his putter into the fringe in disgust as Spaun drew level.

Spaun played it smart at the 17th, aiming for the green’s heart and facing a daunting 44-footer that climbed and curved across the slope. He drained it with surgical precision to save par, then turned his eyes to McIlroy up ahead. A booming drive had left McIlroy 181 yards out, but his adrenaline-fueled 9-iron fell short of the ridge, leaving a birdie try that stretched nearly the full green. The 4-footer that lingered after could’ve spelled doom, but McIlroy’s ball darted in off the right lip with authority.

Now it was Spaun’s moment under the gun. From the pine straw, his approach shot was a stunner—despite a slipping foot—and it settled just an inch from perfection. For McIlroy, it was a nightmare deferred; for Spaun, a dream still alive as the playoff loomed.