All that’s left is to take a look at the final leaderboard ... and to thank you for joining us on this live hole-by-hole report. Thanks for reading! Happy St Patrick’s Day, wherever you are!
-16: McIlroy
-15: Furyk
-14: Pepperell, Vegas
-13: D Johnson, Snedeker, Fleetwood
-12: Matsuyama, Rose, Harman, Day
-11: Scott, Dahmen, Ancer, Rahm
-10: Taylor, Simpson, Bradley, Schniederjans
-9: Moore, DeChambeau
-8: Garcia, Poston, Finau, Kisner
-7: Grillo, Horschel, Kuchar, An
-6: Woodland, Woods, Wallace, Bjerregaard, Hoge
Rory McIlroy’s winning speech (abridged). “This has been one of the best starts to a year of my career ... all those chances helped me today ... I double bogeyed the fourth hole and didn’t get upset, and played some good golf down the stretch ... the driver didn’t behave itself very well yesterday, so I gave it a couple of slaps on the range yesterday and it behaved better today ... hopefully this will stand me in good stead for the rest of the year ... I’ve started the second phase of my career, and feel I can make the next ten years even better than my first ten ... I work very hard and do the right things ... it means everything to be a Players champion, it’s the toughest tournament to win, it’s got the deepest field in the world ... there are great names on this trophy and I am honoured and proud to put my name with them.”
It’s fair to say McIlroy’s latest victory had been coming. Here’s his results so far this season on the PGA Tour:
Sentry Tournament of Champions: tied fourth
Farmers Insurance Open: tied fifth
Genesis Open: tied fourth
WGC-Mexico Championship: second
Arnold Palmer Invitational: tied sixth
The Players Championship: first
The Masters is in three weeks’ time. If he keeps these levels up, there’s a fair chance he’ll become only the seventh player in the entire history of men’s golf to complete a career grand slam. It’s going to be some week in Augusta.
The final match reaches the 18th green. Pars for Rahm and Fleetwood, the Spaniard signing for an extremely disappointing final round of 76, the Englishman a similarly distressing 73. Still no maiden victory on the PGA Tour for Tommy. Po’ Tom’s a-cold. But not for long: the pair enjoy a laugh, a smile and a warm embrace. When the hurt of this near miss subsides, they’ll both reflect on an excellent week’s work.
Rory McIlroy, the new Players champion, speaks! “It’s very special. I just tried to treat it like another day. Even though I’ve had all those close calls this year, they didn’t mean anything. If anything, they were good for me. I call them remote misses. They give you even more hope to go forward and again. I think all those misses led me to this point, and ultimately they were good for me, because they got me over the line today. The final few holes were tough. To get that birdie on 15 after the dropped shot on 14 was massive. The way I played those last few holes gives me so much confidence going forward. If I hadn’t have won today, I would have said I don’t need a win going to Augusta. But it’s very nice to get a win. Especially on this golf course, that plays similar to the way Augusta will play in a few weeks time. I feel like I’m playing some of the best golf of my life and I just need to keep going with it, and keep doing the same things.”
Ireland’s superstar pockets $2.25m for that, a lovely St Patrick’s Day treat. This win was gritty rather than spectacular, and for a while McIlroy’s hopes looked to be heading south. But he refused to buckle, went for it on 9, and the resulting birdie sparked a fire. He played the back nine wonderfully, his sensational second into 15 the moment he simply refused to let this one slip away. Heroic. Homeric. The Players is a huge deal all by itself, of course, and now Rory adds this to his stellar CV ... but still, this is one hell of a fillip for the Masters next month. And that long winless streak comes to an end!
-16: McIlroy
-15: Furyk
-14: Pepperell, Vegas
-13: D Johnson, Snedeker, Fleetwood (17)
Rory McIlroy is the 2019 Players champion!
He sends his first putt 18 inches past the hole, but is never missing the one coming back. At -16, one shot ahead of Jim Furyk, he’s the champion! He blows out hard. That was a tough battle. But he really stepped it up after the turn, and is able to add the unofficial fifth major to his collection of four proper ones. Just the Masters left, then!
Day is up first. He can’t quite make his birdie putt. He’ll make do with par and a level-par round of 72. Back on 17, Fleetwood wedges from the drop zone to three feet, and tidies up for bogey. Then on the last, it’s Rory’s turn ...
McIlroy sends his second over the flag, the ball stopping 20 feet from the hole. He probably didn’t mean to draw the shot quite so far left, with the water over there, not so far from the flag. But he’d take that outcome every day. He’s got two putts to win the 2019 Players Championship!
Rahm slam-dunks his tee shot into the water at 17. Yet another 54-hole leader at the Players who can’t seal the deal. He’s been as poor today as he was sensational yesterday. On 18, Day has found the centre of the fairway too, and the 2016 champion knocks his second pin high to 12 feet. What Rory would pay for that! He’s 155 yards away. Here he goes ...
Rory’s going with driver at 18. He’s parred this hole on each of the first three days. What he’d give for one more now. He lashes a monster down the middle. For a second it looks like it might be toying with the water, but no. It’s a booming hit. And it’s going to set him up for possible victory, because back on 17, Fleetwood, the only man left who can realistically catch him at -16, goes for the flag. His ball hits the sleeper, and pings off into the murky blue. His race is run. Can McIlroy close it out with a par on 18? If he bogeys, it’ll be a three-hole play-off with Furyk. A double would be unthinkable.
Rory’s putt has a massive left-to-right break, suddenly turning like a slingshot. He tickles it over the top of the shoulder he’s behind, and sends the ball rolling hole-ward. Not quite. but he’ll tap in the one coming back for par. And he’s more than happy with that, wandering off with a huge smile on his face. Meanwhile back on 16, Fleetwood taps in for his eagle. He’s -14, just two behind with two to play. Too little, too late?
-16: McIlroy (17)
-15: Furyk (F)
-14: Pepperell (F), Vegas (F), Fleetwood (16)
-13: D Johnson (F), Snedeker (F), Rahm (16)
It’s the last roll of the dice for Tommy Fleetwood. Going down 16 at -12, he needs something to happen now. And it does: he creams a 7-iron straight at the flag, the ball getting a little help onwards from a sprinkler head and stopping three feet from the flag! A wonderful eagle chance that could thrust him back into contention at the death! It’s all witnessed by McIlroy, who glanced over to see what all the commotion was about. He strolls off towards the 17th green, chomping on a power bar, kidding on he’s the calmest dude in Florida. He won’t be, of course, but hats off to him for trying.
Well, it’s not ideal, but it’s dry. He whips his iron straight and hard, and it only just reaches the front of the green. He’ll have a look at birdie from just inside Pepperell Country. Up on 18, Snedeker’s chip finds the green but never looks like going in. His race is run.
The crowd surrounding the 17th erupts as Rory takes to the tee. His heart will be beating like a jiggered clock. One good 9-iron here, from 137 yards, and he’ll be within touching distance of his first Players Championship.
McIlroy can’t make the eagle putt. But the ball stops just to the left of the hole, and he taps in for birdie. That gives him a one-stroke lead over clubhouse leader Furyk at -16 ... but the 17th and 18th await. A long way to go yet!
-16: McIlroy (16)
-15: Furyk (F)
-14: Pepperell (F), Vegas (F), Snedeker (17)
Meanwhile back on 16, McIlroy puts the pedal to the floor. He fires a 178-yard approach at the par-five to 20 feet. He’ll have a good look at an eagle that would put him in control of this tournament as we approach the business end. Up on 18, Snedeker wangs a wild drive up a huge bank to the right of the hole, and is fortunate that it bounces back down to the cart path. That allows him to fire his second greenwards, but the ball snags up on the bank. He’ll need to chip in from there if he’s to have any chance now!
Rahm can only splash out from the sand at 15 to 12 feet. The putt coming back is straight enough, but it stays out on the left. A bogey, and he slips to -13, two off Furyk’s mark. Meanwhile on 17, heartbreak for Schniederjans, who having nearly eagled 16 but settled for birdie, dumps his tee shot in the drink. It was miles short. The young man hangs his head in stunned despair.
Snedeker caresses a fine tee shot into 17. It lands in the centre of the green, the camber bringing his ball right, towards the hole. He’s left with a very makeable uphill 12-footer, but pulls it, and it’s just a par. He’ll need to birdie 18, the trickiest hole on the entire course, if he wants to make a play-off with Furyk, the best outcome left available to him.
Rahm’s drive at 15 finds a cart path deep in trees down the left. He tries to manufacture a Seve-style escape, but only finds a deep bunker front left of the green. That’ll be a tricky up and down.
Furyk makes his birdie at the final hole! He gently punches the air. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -15. Snedeker is within one at -14, finding the 16th green with a couple of big booms, then rolling his long eagle putt to kick-in distance. Dustin can only make par at 17. And McIlroy makes a stunning birdie at 15, taking advantage of the good break he had in finding the bunker with his drive. He sends a big slice round a tree and into the heart of the green, then sinks the 20-footer he was left with!
-15: Furyk (F), McIlroy (15)
-14: Pepperell (F), Vegas (F), Snedeker (16), Rahm (14)
-13: D Johnson (17), Fleetwood (14)
Another birdie for Dustin Johnson, this time at 16. He’s back in this at -13! His tee shot into 17 is average, nothing more, but folk have been rolling them in from everywhere, so let’s see how that pans out. On 15, McIlroy flays a dreadful drive towards the flowerbeds on the right, and he’s very lucky to catch the bunker in front of them. He’ll have a shot, at least. And he can’t afford any slip-ups, because up on 18, Furyk belts a drive down the left-hand side of the fairway, prime position, then screeches a wedge to three feet! There’s not a flicker of emotion on his face as he strides towards the green, the crowd going wild. He’s slipped into Business Mode. He’s certainly done the business with that shot. If he makes the putt, as he surely must, he’ll be signing for a 67 and will set a new clubhouse lead of -15!
You’d need a stone-cold heart not to feel sorry for Furyk here. The grand old boy teases his putt, which has a huge right-to-left curl, towards the hole. Perfect weight. It’s surely going to drop! But no. Somehow it refuses to topple and stays out on the high side. That’s so unfortunate. Furyk takes a couple of steps back in frustration, then suddenly remembers where he is, and spins round just in time, ensuring he doesn’t topple into the water. He nearly fell in at 18 yesterday, too, his toes balancing on the edge to the left of the fairway. He allows himself a rueful smile. He remains at -14 ... though he’s got a share of the lead now, because Rory shoves a dreadful five-foot putt wide right at 14, and that’s a completely needless bogey. It’s very tight at the top now. Ludicrously so! Three-hole play-off, anybody?
-14: Pepperell (F), Vegas (F), Furyk (17), McIlroy (14), Rahm (13)
-13: Snedeker (15), Fleetwood (13)
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Rahm becomes the latest player to regain some momentum. A lovely iron whip-cracked at 13 ends pin high, eight feet from the flag. He rolls it in dead weight, and returns to -14. Up on 17, Furyk decides that he has to go for it, and aims straight at the flag, which is situated in the smallest portion of the green. He’s rewarded for his bravery as his ball lands 12 feet behind the flag. A chance for a birdie that’ll give him a share!
Birdie for Fleetwood at 12. At -13, he’s moving back in the right direction. Dustin Johnson birdies 15 to return himself to -12. Justin Rose is in with a 68, ending his week at -12. And on 18, Vegas sends his second over the flag, but can’t make the 12-footer coming back. That birdie would have posted a new mark in the clubhouse, but he’ll have to settle for par and a 66. He shares the clubhouse lead with Pepperell at -14, one behind the active McIlroy.
Pepperell can only send his second at 18 into thick oomska front right of the green. He bumps a fine chip straight at the hole; it slips off to the right and he’s left with five-footer coming back up the hill. In it goes! He signs for a sensational 66, and he’s the new clubhouse leader. Meanwhile back on the tee, Vegas smashes a fine drive down the right of the fairway. The perfect angle coming in. And on 13, Jason Day’s revival continues with another birdie. He’s -12 and back, baby, back!
-15: McIlroy (13)
-14: Pepperell (F), Vegas (17)
Amid that kerfuffle, McIlroy made it back-to-back birdies with a cute chip and putt on 12. He’s now the sole leader of this tournament! Could his long Sunday suffering end today?
-15: McIlroy (12)
-14: Pepperell (17), Vegas (17)
-13: Rahm (11), Furyk (15), Snedeker (14)
-12: Matsuyama (F), Harman (14), Fleetwood (11)
More sensational scenes on 17! Vegas has left himself a 70-footer with a huge left to right break, over the brow of a hill. And in it goes! One of those you just knew was dropping 12 feet from the flag. It’s not dissimilar in shape or vibe to Justin Rose’s mugging of Phil Mickelson on the 17th at Medinah in that Ryder Cup! The crowd go ballistic. Vegas orchestrates them, then having whipped them up, tries to calm himself down. He’s one good drive away from asking some serious questions of the players who still have a few holes to play. First Pepperell, and now this. This is astonishing!
Despair for Jim Furyk! The veteran yips a tiddler for par on 15, and he falls out of the lead, back to -13. Neither Rahm nor Fleetwood can scramble their pars on 11. On 17, Vegas finds the green but he’s a million miles from the flag, out on the left. Birdie for Day at 12; having gone out in 38, he throws his arms wide in a self-deprecating hallelujah mime. He’s -11, and not out of this. And up on 18, Pepperell’s drive stays dry, but it’s short and in the thick stuff. He’ll have a testing second into the green.
Vegas launches his second at 16 into the heart of the green. He’s left with an uphill eagle putt from 20 feet, fairly straight. But he doesn’t quite hit it. Never mind, it’s a kick-in birdie, and he moves to -13, one off the lead. Ancer drops back to -12 after some weak work around the green at 12. And sensational scenes on 17! Eddie Pepperell’s tee shot finds the green, but only near the front, with the pin tucked in its traditional Sunday spot, behind the bunker on the right. And he’s 40 feet away. No matter! He strokes it over the shoulder, right to left and back again, and the ball snakes into the cup! Bedlam! It’s his third birdie in a row, his fifth in seven holes, his seventh in 11 holes, and he’s suddenly the co-leader of this tournament at -14! He allows himself a shy smile. He’s on the brink of posting a properly testing clubhouse mark!
-14: Pepperell (17), Furyk (14), McIlroy (11), Rahm (10)
-13: Fleetwood (10), Snedeker (13), Vegas (16)
-12: Matsuyama (F), Harman (13), Ancer (12)
Hideki Matsuyama nearly chips in for birdie at 18, but the ball rolls shamelessly past the hole and he’ll have to make do with par. That’s a closing round of 67 to go with yesterday’s 66, a fine weekend’s work. He’s the new clubhouse leader at -12. It’s unlikely to be enough but ... altogether now ... you never know.
Disaster for Tommy Fleetwood on 11. He doesn’t catch his approach at the par-five, and he’s wet. His compatriot Justin Rose escaped with a par earlier today after making the same mistake. So all is not yet lost. And his playing partner Jon Rahm follows him in the water, attempting an absurd snap hook around a tree from a bunker, going for the green instead of taking his medicine and chipping out. That was ludicrous.
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McIlroy is left with a 30-foot eagle putt across the 11th. He strokes it to tap-in distance - the eagle effort’s always missing on the left - and he’s back in a share of the lead at -14. Snedeker pops in another birdie, at 12, and he’s one off the lead at -13. A street-fighting four for Furyk at 14, chipping close from the thick stuff to the side of the green. And a birdie for Pepperell at 16; a strong finish and the 28-year-old from Oxford will be in with a shout! This is such a great tournament. Look at this!
-14: Furyk (14), McIlroy (11), Rahm (10)
-13: Pepperell (16), Snedeker (12), Ancer (11), Fleetwood (10)
-12: Matsuyama (17), Vegas (15), Harman (13)
-11: Rose (16), DeChambeau (17), Scott (14), D Johnson (13)
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Matsuyama’s putt on 17 is downhill and treacherous. He does extremely well to nurse it towards the hole, and par is most acceptable. He remains at -12. Dustin Johnson will join him there, having nearly driven 12 then bumped a chip to a couple of feet. Back on 11, Rory sends his drive into sand down the left, but his lie is perfect and he can lash a long iron into the heart of the par five.
Matsuyama only just gets over the water at 17! But he’s on the green, and will have a look at birdie from 30 feet or so. He’ll have certainly taken that when the ball was in mid air, taking all his hopes and dreams with it. McIlroy sends a wonderful second into 10, his ball screeching to a halt nine feet from the flag. But the birdie putt lips out. His frustration betrays him as he spins around in despair. Meanwhile birdie for Rose at 15, and he moves to -11, just three off the lead of Furyk and Rahm. What he’d give to play the 1st and 5th holes again on Thursday; they cost him five shots. How precious they’d be now.
Here’s an interesting development! Hideki Matsuyama lashes a glorious long iron into the heart of the risk-reward par-five 16th. It ends up four feet from the flag. In goes the eagle putt, and he’s -12, moving into proper You Never Know territory. That was a sensational shot. Not quite up there with Rickie Fowler’s carpe-diem moment in 2015, but that bar’s set at an unfair height. What a move by the Japanese superstar! Also heading very much the right way: Eddie Pepperell, who has just chipped in from the side of 15 to move to -12 as well. This is the young Englishman’s first go at the Players, and he’s very much enjoying it.
Nobody has ever successfully defended the Players. Last year’s champion Webb Simpson gave it a good go, though: he’s just signed for a final-day 68 to go alongside three rounds of 70. A shame he bogeyed 14 and 15, and only just failed to guide in a big left-to-right birdie breaker on the last. A couple of shots shaved off that round, and the way things are going ... well, you never know. But at -10 he’s a little shy. Still, a fine effort. The Sawgrass gallery gives the outgoing champ the warm reception he deserves.
Fleetwood sends his third at 9 over the flag, but can’t make the 20-foot birdie putt coming back. It was a dimple’s width away from dropping, and he holds his head in his hands accordingly. Also frustrated: his partner Rahm, who has a simple enough straight putt from 15 feet, but sends it off to the left, never dropping. A pair of pars.
If Jim Furyk triumphs today, he’ll become the oldest player to win this championship. He’d be 23 days older than 2005 winner Fred Funk, who was 48 years, nine months and 14 days young. And there’s a fair chance of this, because he’s just got up and down from sand at 11 to join Rahm at -14. Meanwhile McIlroy’s power and length earns a birdie at 9, and suddenly he looks a lot happier with life. He’s a shot off the leaders at -13.
Jhonny Vegas continues to move effortlessly up the leaderboard. His fourth of the day, this time at 12, and he’s -12. Meanwhile Eddie Pepperell clips his tee shot at 13 pin high to six feet, and the birdie putt drops, a deserved reward. He’s -11. Both of these earlier starters will be thinking about posting a score and seeing how the final groups come in. On that subject, Nick Taylor is the new clubhouse leader, having signed for a fine 67 today. He ends his week at -10, by some distance the most impressive finish of his career.
Ollie Schniederjans, a former amateur world number one, is sporting a strong look. The sort of moustache favoured by mid-1980s soccer stars, late-1970s new-wave musicians, and Kevin Webster off Coronation Street. He’s handsome enough to get away with it. He hasn’t been in any sort of form lately, but Butch Harmon has started coaching him and the results this week have been nothing short of spectacular. His approach into 9 is a thing of beauty, wedged to six feet. But he fails to hit his putt. It’s dead on line, but so timid. A par, and he’s out in 34, but that deserved better. He stays at -12, but that’s now two off the lead, because Rahm takes full advantage of his big break at 8, rolling in an uphill left-to-right slider for birdie. He regains sole ownership of the lead at -14. Bounceback birdie for Schniederjans’ playing partner Ancer, by the way.
-14: Rahm (8)
-13: Furyk (10), Ancer (9), Fleetwood (8)
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A spot of good fortune for Rahm at the par-three 8th, as he pushes his tee shot to the right and gets a friendly bounce back onto the green, ten feet from the flag. Fleetwood lands about 12 feet away, though his route was rather more conventional, a straight whipcrack into the heart of the green, the ball landing hard and settling down in its own pitchmark. Chances for birdies there. Meanwhile birdie for Brandt Snedeker at 9; he’s out in 34 and just one off the lead at -12.
Ancer had no answer (yes I know but I had to do it at some point) to the sandy trouble he found himself in at 8. That’s a full set of bogeys on that hole this week, and he drops back to -12. His partner Schniederjans can’t get up and down from the side of the green either, and suddenly the top of the leader board looks very different ... especially as the 48-year-old 2003 US Open champ Jim Furyk has just birdied 10, the result of an arrowed approach to six feet! Meanwhile there’s another yipped tiddler by Dustin Johnson, this time a birdie effort at 9. His flat stick has really let him down today.
-13: Furyk (10), Rahm (6), Fleetwood (6)
-12: Ancer (8), Schniederjans (8), McIlroy (7)
-11: Rose (11), Vegas (11), Scott (10), D Johnson (9), Harman (9), Snedeker (8), Day (7)
A dropped shot for McIlroy at 7, the result of sending his second onto the top of a grassy knoll to the right of the green. The chip down wasn’t too bad; the par putt not so good. He slips out of the leading group, back to -12. Rose hangs on at -11, though, scrambling well after getting wet on 11.
Bother dept. Ancer bogeyed the par-three 8th on Thursday. He repeated the trick on Friday. And yesterday. And now he’s yanked his tee shot into sand. Trouble too for Rose at 11, as he slaps a dreadful second shot into the drink. It’s a par five, so he’ll have an opportunity to limit the damage. And Fleetwood has hoicked his drive at 7 into the trees down the right. He might also have hit some poor punter upside the head. The conditions have turned this course into quite the test.
Rahm turns the ship around with a glorious long bunker shot at 6. That’s clipped to six feet from 145 yards! That’s one of the shots of the week. It’ll be heartbreaking if he misses the birdie putt. But he’s never going to do that. In it goes, and despite an awful start, he’s now back tied for the lead at -13. He walks off grinning, which augurs well for the young Spaniard; a happy Rahm is a dangerous Rahm. The minute his lid flips, it’s all over. So he’s done extremely well to keep it together after those early hassles. Par for Fleetwood.
Drama-free two-putt pars for Rahm and Fleetwood at 5. Harman shoves a dismal birdie putt wide left at 8. But McIlroy makes no mistake, and is going in the right direction again. It’s all bunched up at the top.
-13: Ancer (6), Schniederjans (6), McIlroy (6), Fleetwood (5)
-12: Furyk (8), Harman (8), Rahm (5)
-11: Rose (10), Vegas (10), Scott (9), D Johnson (8), Snedeker (7), Day (6)
-10: Taylor (16), DeChambeau (10), Dahmen (8), Bradley (7)
Ollie Schniederjans, who shot 65 yesterday, birdies 6 to join Tommy Fleetwood at the top of the leaderboard. Also there, Schniederjans’ playing partner Abraham Ancer, who follows birdie at 2 with his second of the day at 6. They could soon be joined by McIlroy, who lands a sand wedge six feet from the flag at 5, and Harman, who whips in a 3-iron on the long par-three 8th to ten feet. But for now ...
-13: Ancer (6), Schniederjans (6), Fleetwood (4)
-12: Furyk (8), Harman (7), McIlroy (5), Rahm (4)
Trouble for Dustin Johnson on 7. He sends his drive into the drink, then hoicks his third into greenside sand. He can only splash out to eight feet, but knocks in the bogey putt, a case study in damage limitation. He’s -11, two off Fleetwood’s lead. Back on 5, McIlroy steadies the ship with par, though he nearly holes a 45-footer for bounceback birdie. He stays one off at -12.
Thankfully that chap is quickly up and about. Rahm - who to be fair shouted fore - gives him a hug (carefully!) and signs a glove. All warm smiles and friendship, which is lovely to see. The young Spanish star isn’t saving his par, though, unable to get up and down from the back of the green. Another shot gone. Meanwhile Ollie Schniederjans birdies 5, having already picked up a stroke at 1. He’s now just one stroke off the lead, Fleetwood having knocked in a ten-foot par saver on 4. This leaderboard is absurd.
-13: Fleetwood (4)
-12: Furyk (7), D Johnson (6), Harman (6), Ancer (5), Schniederjans (5), McIlroy (4), Rahm (4)
-11: Rose (9), Vegas (9), Scott (8), Snedeker (6), Day (4)
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Another birdie for Justin Rose, this time at 9. He’s out in 33 and right in the mix at -11. Dustin Johnson makes bounce-back birdie at 6; his partner Brian Harman makes birdie too, his second of the day, and he’s -12. Rory’s dip on the drink at 4 ends in double bogey, while Jason Day three putts the same hole for his second bogey of the day. And there’s trouble afoot for Rahm at 4, where his second flies through the green and smashes some poor punter in the chest. That’ll hurt, but thank goodness for small mercies, because there was a woman carrying a baby standing right next to him and a small child the other side. The alternatives don’t bear thinking about, because that ball was flying.
McIlroy might not be co-leader for much longer. Having sent his tee shot at 4 into thick stuff down the right, he goes for the pin but doesn’t get enough on his wedge. The ball’s never making it over the water. Plop. More Sunday woes for Rory. Mind you, his co-leader Rahm couldn’t get up and down from sand at the par-three 3rd, and that’s a second bogey in the first three holes. A dreadful start. Some wag in the crowd cries “Ay caramba!” as the par putt slips by. That went down as well as you’d imagine.
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A tramliner for Jhonny Vegas at 7! The birdie takes him up to -11, alongside Dustin Johnson, who misses another short putt, this time at 5 for par. Bryson DeChambeau’s there too, after birdies at 4, 6 and 9. He’s out in 33. It’s a hell of a crowded leaderboard. Good luck calling the winner of this!
-14: McIlroy (3), Rahm (2)
-13: Fleetwood (2)
-12: Furyk (6), Ancer (4), Day (3)
-11: Taylor (13), DeChambeau (9), Vegas (8), Scott (7), Dahmen (6), D Johnson (5), Harman (5), Snedeker (4), Schniederjans (4)
-10: Rose (8), Bradley (4)
Rory at the par-three 3rd. He sends his 8-iron straight at the flag, but 25 feet short. He knocks the left-to-right slider four feet past, but saves his par. He remains at -14, in a share of the lead with Rahm, who can only par 2 after sending his second into greenside sand. Meanwhile Rahm’s playing partner Fleetwood can’t get the speed of the greens at all: another three putt from distance, the first two left well short, and it’s just a par at the gimme-birdie par five.
Nick Taylor continues to progress up the leader board. Having lost a little momentum with bogey at the par-five 9th, the result of a wayward drive, he’s birdied 10, 11 and 13 to move to -11. He’s six under for his round so far. A shot behind at -10, it’s Justin Rose and Bryson DeChambeau, who are both two under for their rounds today, through 7 and 8 respectively.
Day does extremely well to bounce back from that opening-hole bogey to birdie the par-five 2nd. He rejoins the group at -12, which now features Jim Furyk, who has just chipped in from the side of 5. Par for Rory, who sent his second into greenside sand after a wild drive, and was unable to get up and down. Dustin Johnson misses a birdie tiddler after a lovely approach at 4; he remains at -12. And Tiger, having scrambled another par at 17, pars the last. A final-day 69 and he ends at -6. His putter got him out of quite a lot of trouble over that closing stretch; that’ll give him confidence going into the Masters.
Here’s something for Jon Rahm to be thinking about. The last third-round leader at the Players to shoot a final round in the 60s was Stephen Ames in 2006. Since then, the average score of the 54-hole leader has been 74.9. And only four third-round leaders have gone on to win: Tiger in 2013, Kaymer in 2014, Day in 2016 and Webb Simpson last year. So all things considered, he’ll not be particularly calmed by a three-putt bogey on the opening hole. Fleetwood also three-putts for bogey; this hole has cost him three shots this weekend. It’s now a two-way tie for the lead.
-14: McIlroy (1), Rahm (1)
-13: Fleetwood (1)
-12: Furyk (5), D Johnson (4), Ancer (2)
Two putts for McIlroy on 1, and that’s a solid enough start. Rory has some demons to conquer today: his Sunday performances when entering the final round in the top two have been dismal of late. Since 2016, he’s gone into battle like this eight times; he’s not won once, and he’s +4 overall, with an average round of 71.8. He’ll need to do an awful lot better today.
The final pairing are on the course. Jon Rahm and Tommy Fleetwood both batter drives down the middle of the 1st fairway. Fleetwood is using an Open Championship umbrella today, perhaps procured from his home course of Birkdale a couple of years ago. Up on the green, Day duffs his chip out of the cabbage to the right of the green. He does pretty well to get up and down to limit the damage to bogey. He drops to -11.
Tiger sends his approach at 16 into the water, short and right. But he manages to scramble a five, sinking a long par saver. He’ll need his putter to do some more hard work on 17, because his tee shot only just gets over the water, threatening to roll back, saved by the fringe. It’s Martin Kaymer Country, where the German fluffed a chip, then sank a monster putt on his way to the 2014 title. God speed, Tiger.
The rain’s coming down at Sawgrass. Umbrellas up. And the penultimate group is out. Rory McIlroy toys with the first cut down the left of 1, but his ball stays on the fairway. Jason Day’s drive isn’t so good, short and well left. He’s in a little bother there, and pushes his second right of the green. Not a steady start from the 2016 champion. Rory’s on the green in two, but facing a very long birdie putt.
Brian Harman rolls a long birdie putt in on 2. He’s -11, a shot behind his playing partner Dustin Johnson, who has started birdie-birdie. So there’s already a new flavour to the top of the leader board:
-15: Rahm
-14: Fleetwood, McIlroy
-12: D Johnson (2), Day
-11: Dahmen (3), Furyk (3), Harman (2), Ancer
Updated
The cute play on the opening hole seems to be landing one’s approach on the grassy knoll to the right of the green. That will send the ball kicking sharp left, to the flag nearby. Jhonattan Vegas has already benefited from such a break, picking up birdie there, and following up with another at 2; he’s -10. And now it’s Dustin Johnson’s turn, the big man dropping a 7-iron on the hillock, his ball ricocheting to kick-in distance. He moves to -11, alongside the veteran Jim Furyk, who dropped a stroke at the opening hole but erased all the damage on the par-five 2nd with eagle.
Should Rory McIlroy’s talent ever desert him, he should feel safe in the knowledge that he’d have a great career as a weatherman. Here’s his report. “With the rain earlier today, and maybe a little more to come, the course will be a tad softer. That’s not a bad thing, but the wind’s up and coming out of the same direction it was yesterday, so it makes the easier holes still easy, but the tougher holes just that little bit tougher. Some of the long par-fours will be playing back into the wind, three of the four par-fives will be playing downwind, so it’s just a matter of committing to your shots off the tee and selecting the right clubs.”
Updated
The (very) early clubhouse leader is Emiliano Grillo. The young Argentinian - he’s still only 26, though it feels like he’s been around for years and years - shot a fine 66 today. Birdies at 1, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 16, and an eagle at 2. He would have matched Jon Rahm’s best of week 64 were it not for bogeys at a couple of par threes, the 3rd and the 17th, where he became the latest victim of the water. He joins a (very) long list. He’s -7 after his week’s work.
Tiger Woods never really recovered from making a quadruple-bogey seven at the notorious island 17th on Friday. Starting the final day at -3, he was never in contention, but he’s looking to finish strongly. And he’s giving the Sawgrass crowd good bang for their buck. Birdies at 2, 4, 7 and 11, just the one bogey so far at 14, and a sensational scramble at the par-three 3rd, where he sent a lame flop into a deep bunker only to hole out from the sand with a perfectly weighted splash. He’s -6, having made a couple of big putts, all of which augurs well for Augusta National in a few weeks.
The 30-year-old Canadian Nick Taylor is something of a journeyman. He’s done nothing of note in any of the majors, save becoming low amateur at the 2009 US Open, and his one PGA Tour win was at the Sanderson Farms Championship in 2014, contested while the big names were out in Shanghai playing for the WGC-HSBC. But this is suddenly shaping up to be his most notable week of his career: he’s birdied 2, 3, 5 and 8 today, and is suddenly in a tie for 13th spot at -9.
Here we go, then! The final day of the first really big tournament of the 2019 PGA Tour season. Most folk are already out and about; we’ll get to the morning movers and shakers in a minute. But a quick spot of admin first ... here are the tee times of the final few groups.
12.55pm local, 4.55pm GMT: Dustin Johnson, Brian Harman
1.05pm, 5.05pm: Brandt Snedeker, Keegan Bradley
1.15pm, 5.15pm: Abraham Ancer, Ollie Schniederjans
1.25pm, 5.25pm: Rory McIlroy, Jason Day
1.35pm, 5.35pm: Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood
It’s on!
Preamble
Pete and Alice Dye’s signature work, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, sure is pretty to look at. But last year’s Players Championship wasn’t much of a spectacle. Webb Simpson’s second-round 63 blitzed the field, and the 2012 US Open champion never looked back. Simpson ended up so far clear – seven ahead going into Sunday - he was able to send his approach to the 72nd long and into the water, and the resulting double bogey didn’t matter a jot. He finished four clear of Xander Schauffele, Charl Schwartel and Jimmy Walker.
The Players isn’t a foregone conclusion this time. Jon Rahm leads the way after a best-of-week 64 yesterday. Tommy Fleetwood and Rory McIlroy sit just behind, both having carded 65s this week, both posting gritty 70s yesterday when things briefly threatened to spiral out of control. Also lurking within striking distance are some other big names: Jason Day, Dustin Johnson, Keegan Bradley, Jim Furyk, Brandt Snedeker, Patrick Reed, Adam Scott, Justin Rose. It’s a star-studded leader board. And don’t rule out the in-form Abraham Ancer or the up-and-coming Ollie Schniederjans either.
Some of those folk, it’s true, require a favour or three from the leading group if they’re to win. But the weather’s not likely to be ideal this afternoon – cold, with wind and rain expected - so you never know how it all comes down in the end. It promises to be a fantastic final round! It’s the unofficial fifth men’s major! Sawgrass fever is raging! Won’t someone please call Dr Golf?!
The 54-hole leaderboard:
-15: Rahm
-14: Fleetwood, McIlroy
-12: Day
-11: Ancer
-10: Schniederjans, Snedeker, Bradley, D Johnson, Harman, Furyk
-9: Dahmen, Reed, Scott, Kisner
-8: Vegas, Pepperell, Rose, Finau, DeChambeau, Taylor
-7: Matsuyama, Fowler
Updated
