It took one shot Monday to show that the three-hole aggregate playoff at the Players Championship wouldn't be a fair fight.
Rory McIlroy, the overwhelming favorite, pounded a 336-yard bomb over the trees on the 16th hole to put himself in perfect position to attack the par 5.
J.J. Spaun's firepower doesn't fall in the same class as McIlroy's, so fairways were a must if he was to compete. But he failed to do so off the 16th and walked off with a par - not a bad score, but not what you need when your opponent is hitting a wedge in for his second shot en route to a two-putt birdie.
If McIlroy's one-shot lead looked safe walking to the 17th tee, it looked insurmountable five minutes later. After the 35-year-old found the green with a wonderful approach, Spaun went long and found the water. The eventual triple-bogey effectively ended things and made the 18th a formality for McIlroy to claim his second Players Championship.
"I left here a little disappointed last night that I didn't get it done in regulation," McIlroy said after winning, according to ASAP Sports. "I reset, and I needed to go out and play some good golf today. It started with a great drive on 16, which set me up for an easy birdie. Then a great swing into 17, and those three swings were basically what decided the championship."
McIlroy joins Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods as the only men to win at least four majors and two Players Championships in their career. It's also the first time he's won two PGA TOUR events before April. That has to have the 28-time TOUR winner feeling confident ahead of the Masters as he looks to complete the career grand slam.
Spaun will certainly be pleased with his week, but he'll be left wondering what might have been after his birdie attempt on the 72nd hole to win the event Sunday came up three inches short.
