The end of The Players Championship’s final round was chaotic, as players had to squeeze in the round around a four-hour weather delay.
The tournament began its final round early in the morning, and the golfers got a good amount of golf in before a thunderstorm hit at just after 1:00 p.m. ET. Play then resumed at 5:15 p.m., allowing the leaders to finish their rounds before sundown came.
The tournament didn’t end there, however. Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun each ended the final round at -12, and there wasn’t enough sunlight to go to a playoff. McIlroy had a one-shot lead entering the weather delay, and his lead was as large as three shots once he returned from the delay but before Spaun closed the gap.
Spaun, who was the 54-hole leader, had a putt to win the tournament, but the ball came up just short to force a playoff.
J.J. Spaun makes par on No. 18, and we’ll have a three-hole Monday PLAYOFF to decide the champion. ⚔️🏆
📺 NBC & Peacock | #THEPLAYERS pic.twitter.com/lf3wl3kjrV
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) March 16, 2025
Therefore, McIlroy and Spaun will returnn to TPC Sawgrass on Monday morning to decide a winner. Here is what you need to know about the playoff.
The Players playoff format 2025
On Monday morning, Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun will play a three-hole aggregate playoff to decide the winner of The Players. That means the two golfers will play hole Nos. 16, 17 and 18 once again, with the best score taking home the title.
If the McIlroy and Spaun are still tied after three holes, the playoff will become sudden-death, and the first player to win a hole will win the match.
How extra holes work in golf
Golf overtime has two formats: sudden-death and playoff aggregates. For sudden-death formats, golfers play until one shoots better on a hole than the others. But other tournaments use playoff aggregates, where the golfers play a group of holes, with the best score after those holes winning it all. The Players uses a mix of both.
How to watch The Players Championship playoff
- Date: Monday, March 17
- Time: 9 a.m. ET
- Channel: Golf Channel
The Players Championship playoff will be broadcasted on the Golf Channel Monday morning at 9 a.m. ET.
The Players Championship leaderboard 2025
| Place | Player | Score |
| T-1 | Rory McIlroy | -12 |
| T-1 | J.J. Spaun | -12 |
| T-3 | Akshay Bhatia | -10 |
| T-3 | Lucas Glover | -10 |
| T-3 | Tom Hoge | -10 |
The Players playoff history
| Year | Winner | Runner(s) up |
| 2015 | Rickie Fowler | Kevin Kisner, Sergio Garcia |
| 2011 | K.J. Choi | David Toms |
| 2008 | Sergio Garcia | Paul Goydos |
| 1987 | Sandy Lyle | Jeff Sluman |
| 1981 | Raymond Floyd | Barry Jaeckel and Curtis Strange |
Last time there was a playoff in The Players, Rickie Fowler defeated Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia on the fourth playoff hole. In fact, each of the last three playoffs in this tournament ended on No. 17 as the fourth playoff hole, and the first sudden-death hole.
