JJ Spaun With 'Nothing to Lose' vs. Rory McIlroy in Players Playoff
JJ Spaun will face off against future PGA Hall of Famer Rory McIlroy in a three-hole playoff at The Players Championship.
By
Gerrit Ritt has previously written for FOX Sports, TMZ, ClutchPoints, The Charlotte Observer and The Jim Rome Show. He currently resides in Los Angeles and is a proud UNC Charlotte alum.
Writers Page Gerrit RittContributing Sports Writer
J.J. Spaun has won just once on the PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy has done so 27 times.
But on Monday, Spaun and McIlroy will be going head-to-head in a three-hole playoff to determine the winner of The PLAYERS Championship.
Everyone will tab Rory as the favorite, but don't tell that to Spaun.
"Everyone expects him to win. I don't think a lot of people expect me to win," Spaun said after Sunday's round. "I expect myself to win. That's all I care about."
When you're down by three shots with just seven holes to play to one of the best players on the planet, you don't have much time to worry about winning. You just think of the next shot. And the next hole. That's all you can do.
"I just tried to fight back," Spaun said. "I had nothing to lose."
"When I'm hunting, it's easier to let it go. Whereas, starting the round ... I was a little scared and stuff."
PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 16: J.J. Spaun of the United States reacts to a missed birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course... PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA - MARCH 16: J.J. Spaun of the United States reacts to a missed birdie putt on the 18th green during the final round of THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 16, 2025 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Jared C. Tilton/Getty ImagesSpaun's only win on Tour was the 2022 Valero Open, so being scared during the final round of the "fifth major" is understandable. But the pressure will be even greater Monday morning with the whole world watching while he and the four-time major winner are the only two guys on the course.
Or will it?
"I like being in the spotlight now," Spaun boasted. "I proved it to myself coming down the stretch ... that (Monday) it could go my way. Maybe I am the one everyone thinks should win."
It takes that kind of brass to win on Tour. And it certainly takes that kind of confidence to beat a player the level of Rory.
But after coming back from a three-shot deficit, the momentum is definitely on Spaun's side. Even after he had the chance to win on 18, but left his long birdie putt inches short.
Of course, it only takes inches to win or lose on the PGA Tour, something Rory knows all too well.
McIlroy has an unfortunate history of folding in the clutch. All you have to do is look at his four runner-up finishes and three third-places in majors.
As far as Spaun is concerned, he's playing with house money right now. An underdog in every sense of the word, with the biggest moment in his career just three holes away.
He truly is a man with nothing to lose.
More Golf: Rory McIlroy's Bold Declaration at The PLAYERS Amid JJ Spaun Playoff
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