Varying vibes as J.J. Spaun and Rory McIlroy head to Monday Players playoff
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. – Well, obviously, this thing was over.
In a span of seven minutes Sunday at The Players Championship, J.J. Spaun went from one shot behind to three back after a bogey-birdie flip with Rory McIlroy up ahead.
It was a nice run for Spaun, wasn't it? A 34-year-old journeyman type who had played his way into the biggest spot of his career. Claimed the 54-hole lead. Impressed fans with his grit and game, with his likable demeanor, with his relatable daily struggle. But now that story, his story, was predictably coming to an end – after a four-hour weather delay, he made a mess of the par-5 11th and seemed too far behind, with too few holes left, to catch the No. 2 player in the world.
'I kind of went with the odds,' Spaun said. 'I had nothing to lose.'
And so Spaun started committing to his shots. Trusting his swing. Too many times in his career, he admits, he has lacked the necessary self-belief and conviction to challenge for the biggest titles in the game.
'I've just kind of been afraid of being in that spotlight, being in that pressure, being worried about failure,' he said.
It's something that recent PGA Tour winner Thomas Detry admitted, too. That he was so afraid of getting into the lead and failing that he decided he'd rather not even be in that spot at all. It wasn't until Detry proved himself last month at the WM Phoenix Open, ripping off four birdies in a row to win, that he truly understood just how flawed that logic was.
Spaun is starting to come to grips with that, too.
On the par-4 14th, the hardest hole on the course – the same hole that, in the previous group, McIlroy had sailed his drive way right and taken bogey – Spaun began to fight back, taking dead aim and knocking his approach to a foot for a kick-in birdie.
One back.
Brentley Romine,
On 16 – the same hole that, in the previous group, McIlroy had settled for par after a so-so chip – Spaun hit a perfect drive around the corner, missed in the correct spot left of the green and pitched to a foot.
Now, he was tied.
Two consecutive pars to close, in near darkness, helped propel Spaun into an unlikely spot: a three-hole aggregate playoff with McIlroy. The overtime period, beginning at 9 a.m. ET on Golf Channel, will cover three of the most daunting holes in golf, Nos. 16-18 on the Stadium Course, and Spaun just proved that he's up for the challenge.
'I showed myself that I don't have to shy away from the moment,' he said.
Afterward, McIlroy seemed to be wondering how he even found himself in the playoff to begin with.
No, he didn't play perfectly down the stretch – his drive on 14 was miles right, and he twice was fooled by reads over the final hour in the fading daylight. But he also didn't get many breaks. A foot further left, his tee shot on 13 easily could have caught the ridge and funneled down toward the cup. His tee shot on the par-5 16th barely found the right rough. His wedge on 17 came to rest against the collar and made for an awkward 13-footer up the hill.
After taking a three-shot lead, he played the remaining six holes in 1 over par.
'I feel like I had a chance to go home with the trophy tonight,' he said. 'But I'll get a good night's sleep and reset and try to win it tomorrow.'
It's just five full swings, and McIlroy should have every conceivable advantage.
With his powerful draw, McIlroy should be able to sling it 30 yards past Spaun on the reachable par-5 16th and require less club off the tee on the watery 18th. He's been significantly tighter with his approach play this week. He holds a 5-0 advantage in the number of Tour playoffs contested, and he has more than a decade of match-play experience to hold over his opponent. Fans who show up for the Monday morning restart will almost certainly be rooting for one of the game's most popular players.
'Everyone expects him to win. I don't think a lot of people expect me to win,' Spaun said. 'But I expect myself to win. That's all I care about.'
Rory McIlroy describes how he feels after finishing in a tie at the top of The Players Championship leaderboard and whether he was paying attention to the final stretch of J.J. Spaun's fourth round.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox Sports
2 hours ago
- Fox Sports
Dentist, amateur golfer Matt Vogt returns to childhood course to play in US Open
Matt Vogt took a break from his day job of asking patients to open their mouths and say "ahhh" to focus on hitting jaw-dropping shots from the fairway. He traded his periodontal probe for a pitching wedge, his drill for a 5-iron. That's because Vogt, a 34-year-old dentist practicing in Indiana, qualified for the U.S. Open. He participated in media availability before major champions Dustin Johnson and Justin Thomas. He warmed up alongside PGA Championship winner, Scottie Scheffler. He spoke like a natural and smoked golf balls like a natural. He may not claim his profession as a golfer, but make no mistake, he's been here before, and worked hard to return. Literally. Vogt grew up in Pittsburgh, and was a caddie at Oakmont, practicing on the course in his spare time. "This place means so much to me," he said during an interview with the Golf Channel on Wednesday. Vogt would also return to Oakmont during summer breaks while he was at the University of Butler, where he played golf from 2011-2013. Following college, he pursued a more modest career in dentistry. His love of golf, though, didn't fade. Vogt stayed sharp, and played in amateur tournaments; he even played in a U.S. Amateurs tournament at Oakmont in 2021. Recently, he performed well at a tournament in Walla Walla, Washington, and was able to earn a spot in the 125th U.S. Open. The tournament has always welcomed golfers of all tiers, as any professional or amateur with a 0.4 handicap index or lower can submit their name to compete for a spot at the U.S. Open. Vogt scored 8-under 136 on the 36-hole course at the Wine Valley Golf Tournament in April to qualify for the U.S. Open. Now, he's headed back home, as the 125th U.S. Open is set to be held at Oakmont Country Club for the 10th time. Call it coincidence, call it fate, but Vogt's been striving for this moment for years, and it lined up at the perfect time. The U.S. Open will run from June 12-15, and Vogt is set to tee off on Thursday 6:45 a.m. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! Get more from PGA Tour Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
LIV Golf Star Beats Scottie Scheffler Before US Open
LIV Golf Star Beats Scottie Scheffler Before US Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Scottie Scheffler may be the hottest golfer on the planet right now, but when it comes to earnings, the crown goes to LIV Golf's Jon Rahm. The latest report suggests Rahm has beaten Scheffler heading into the U.S. Open, at least on the money list. Advertisement Scottie has been putting on one of the greatest performances in the PGA Tour and majors. He has won three out of 12 events, including the 2025 PGA Championship. The 28-year-old has yet to miss a cut this season. But when it comes to becoming the highest-paid golfer in the world, Scheffler unfortunately lost that crown to the Spaniard Rahm. According to Forbes' latest report of the world's highest-paid golfers, Rahm's reported earnings stand at $102 million. He collected only $10 million of it from off-course earnings courtesy of endorsement deals with Callaway, Rolex and Santander Bank. However, the rest of Rahm's astonishing $92 million comes from his on-course earnings through LIV Golf and majors. Jon Rahm stands atop the list of highest-paid pro golfers.© Geoff Burke-Imagn Images In his debut season with LIV Golf last year, Rahm won the tour's individual title, which earned him an additional $18 million bonus. He has yet to win an event this year. Meanwhile, Scheffler, the world's second-highest-paid golfer, has earned $97 million. He made $67 million from on-course earnings while the rest came from off the course. Advertisement Scheffler has endorsement deals with Nike, TaylorMade, Rolex and Veritex Community Bank. The three-time major winner has already accumulated $86 million in career earnings, behind only Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson in PGA Tour's all-time list. Scheffler also won the Memorial Tournament leading up to the U.S. Open. Though he may have lost the money battle to Rahm, Scheffler will look to balance things out by trying to win his maiden U.S. Open. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.


Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
2025 U.S. Open: Complete Record-Matching $21.5M Prize Purse by Place
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. While speaking on the eve of the 125th U.S. Open, United States Golf Association (USGA) CEO Mike Whan officially revealed that the event's purse will be $21.5 million, with $4.3 million going to the winner. This is the same amount allocated for the 2024 edition, tying the record for the largest purse distributed at any major championship in history. "Our purse is $21.5 million. Winner's check is $4.3 [million]. We didn't raise our purse this year," Whan said. "When I started at the USGA just four years ago, our purse was $12.5 [million], so I feel comfortable that we've been a leader in moving fast and bigger." The U.S. Open Trophy seen at Oakmont Country Club on May 4, 2016 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. The U.S. Open Trophy seen at Oakmont Country Club on May 4, 2016 in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images As for the winner's paycheck, it ranks as the second-highest for an individual professional golf event, behind only the $4.5 million awarded to the winner of the PGA Tour's PLAYERS Championship. It's certainly come a long way since the $150 Horace Rawlins received for winning the event's foundational edition in 1895. The US Open winner's paycheck reached $1,000 for the first time in 1929, but the winner was the legendary Bobby Jones, who didn't collect the prize money because he played as an amateur. The $10,000 barrier was broken in 1959, when Billy Casper received $12,000 for his victory. Just 26 years later, the $100,000 barrier was surpassed, as Andy North received $103,000 when he won in 1985. It couldn't be anyone but Tiger Woods who was the first to receive $1 million for winning the US Open, which he did with his epic victory in 2000. US Open prize money payout This is how the 2025 US Open purse will be distributed. The amounts may vary depending on ties: 1 $4,300,000 2 $2,322,000 3 $1,445,062 4 $1,013,040 5 $843,765 6 $748,154 7 $674,491 8 $604,086 9 $546,720 10 $502,174 11 $458,280 12 $423,729 13 $394,829 14 $364,407 15 $338,332 16 $316,602 17 $299,218 18 $281,834 19 $264,450 20 $247,067 21 $232,073 22 $217,080 23 $202,521 24 $189,048 25 $177,314 26 $167,319 27 $159,713 28 $152,977 29 $146,458 30 $139,939 31 $133,420 32 $126,901 33 $120,382 34 $114,515 35 $109,735 36 $104,954 37 $100,391 38 $96,045 39 $91,699 40 $87,353 41 $83,007 42 $78,661 43 $74,315 44 $69,969 45 $65,623 46 $61,712 47 $57,801 48 $54,107 49 $51,934 50 $49,761 51 $48,457 52 $47,370 53 $46,501 54 $46,067 55 $45,632 56 $45,197 57 $44,763 58 $44,328 59 $43,894 60 $43,459 61 $43,024 62 $42,590 63 $42,155 64 $41,721 65 $41,286 66 $40,851 67 $40,417 68 $39,982 69 $39,548 70 $39,113 More Golf: Scottie Scheffler reveals Venmo payments from fans, requests for cash