J.J. Spaun did everything right to enter the final round of The Players Championship with a strong strategy, which ultimately proved enough to pull even with Rory McIlroy and force a playoff. The two will battle over three holes for the $4.5 million winner’s check.
In his most recent comments, Spaun made it clear that he knows he’s not the favorite to win the title, saying, “Everyone expects him to win. I don’t think a lot of people expect me to win. I expect myself to win.” It’s worth noting that Spaun had a much stronger third round than McIlroy.
At least Spaun has a clear mind and knows that in the playoff anything can happen, saying “I just know those three holes anything can happen.” He is aware that most of the pressure will be on McIlroy, but Spaun feels fortunate to be in this position, admitting“I like to have the opportunity to play, I like to have the chance to win.”
It is worth remembering that Spaun will have to play the playoff against McIlroy after making a par on hole No. 18. Everyone was watching that last shot that could have given him his first major victory at The Players and once again win a title that he has not been able to secure for some years now.
When was the last time J.J. Spaun won a big tournament?
The last ‘big golf title’ that Spaun won was in 2022 during that year’s Valero Texas Open edition, which is one of his four titles as a professional. The first time he won a title was in 2015 at the Staal Foundation Open, and after that year, he secured two consecutive titles in 2016 at the Air Capital Classic and the News Sentinel Open.
In the 2024 edition of The Players, J.J. Spaun did not have a significant role. He has had several participations in previous editions but had never come so close to winning this tournament, much less against a big player like Rory McIlroy.