Breakfast Ball #62: St. Patrick's Day Delight for Rory

A Tuesday newsletter delivery after The Players was forced into Monday morning due to Thunder. Next week will be the first installment of three weeks of Masters content coming your way. Buckle up folks, it’s almost major season!

In This Week’s Newsletter:

McIlroy outlasts Spaun in Monday morning playoff to win The Players Championship

One of the biggest cliches in sports is that the top teams can still win when their best players are not at the races. Over the course of a long season, there will be days when nothing seems to click, and grinding out a result becomes the only option.

For 17 years, Rory McIlroy has leaned on his driver as a key weapon in his success, but at TPC Sawgrass, it abandoned him for long stretches of The Players Championship. In the first round, he hit just 4 of 14 fairways, ranking 79th in the field in strokes gained off the tee. Yet, despite the struggles, he still managed to card a five-under 67, finishing just one shot off the overnight lead.

McIlroy knew he couldn’t afford to keep scrambling. “I’m not going to get away with it for the rest of the week. I rode my luck a bit out there,” he admitted. “I’ll go hit some balls, figure it out, and try to find a few more fairways tomorrow.”

On Friday he improved, using a low cut shot to find 11 of 14 fairways and jump to 5th in the field in strokes gained off the tee. However, this time it was his approach play that was lacking. McIlroy was 105th in the field in approach play, but still managed to shoot a 4-under 68.

Saturday proved to be a brutal test as players battled gusty conditions throughout the weekend. After the field averaged 0.55 strokes under par on Friday, the challenging weather flipped the script—scores ballooned to an average of 2.05 strokes over par on Saturday and 0.85 over par on Sunday. Rory McIlroy closed his third round with a clutch birdie on the final hole, salvaging a 1-over 73 to sit four shots behind leader JJ Spaun heading into Sunday.

“Not out of it by any means,” McIlroy said after his round, fully aware that his golf would give him a chance when it mattered most.

He wasted no time making a move on Sunday, opening with a birdie on the first and cutting the deficit to one after a towering 228-yard 2-iron into a stiff breeze set up an eagle on the second. McIlroy later held a three-shot lead on the back nine, but JJ Spaun refused to go away, battling back to force a Monday morning three-hole cumulative playoff on one of the best closing stretches in golf—TPC Sawgrass’ iconic 16th, 17th, and 18th holes.

Once again, McIlroy had to trust in his game. “Get up there, make five good swings tomorrow morning, and get this thing done.”

One swing was all McIlroy needed to take control. While JJ Spaun found the right rough off the tee on the 16th, McIlroy launched his drive 36 yards past him, perfectly positioned in the middle of the fairway. With the wind at his back, he needed only a wedge into the 521-yard par-5, setting up an easy birdie while Spaun settled for par. When Spaun’s tee shot on the 17th found the water, the tournament was all but decided.

Last year, Rory McIlroy had the toughest loss of his career. In November, I remarked that the rest of McIlroy’s career might be defined by his reaction to that heartbreak. He has won three times in 16 starts since the US Open at Pinehurst.

He seems to trust that his game will get him out of sticky situations, regardless of the outcome of previous shots. “I feel like I'm a better player now than I ever have been, and it's nice to see the fruits of my labor paying off.”

The next place to prove his work has been worth it? Augusta National in three weeks. Bring it on.

European Results

• Bob MacIntyre continued his strong start to the season with a ninth-place finish, one of the few players to avoid an over-par round throughout the tournament

• Aaron Rai, Sepp Straka, and Tommy Fleetwood all posted a final score of 5-under, resulting in a tie for 14th

• Shane Lowry and Stephan Jaeger were the other two Europeans to come in the top 20, eight strokes behind McIlroy and Spaun

• Viktor Hovland, Matt Fitzpatrick, Ludvig Åberg, Justin Rose, and the Højgaard twins were among those to miss the cut

TPC Sawgrass is a Theatre of Golf

While the top of the leaderboard may not have been full of big names, this tournament is simply incredible to watch, and the main reason for that is the golf course. TPC Sawgrass was designed by Pete Dye, who is notorious for creating difficult tests. While Sawgrass is definitely in that category, it also offers players scoring chances if they can keep the ball in play.

A great example of this in action this weekend was Justin Thomas’ performance over the first two days of the tournament. On day one, JT shot a 6-over 78 with 3 bogeys, 2 double bogeys, and a triple bogey. Seven shots off the eventual cutline, he needed a small miracle to make the weekend.

A course record-equalling 10-under 62 would do the trick. The 16 shot difference between his first and second rounds was the largest one day change in Players history.

Courses that deliver as many eagles as double bogeys create the most excitement. With multiple options off the tee, players are forced to think through every shot, adding a strategic element to the challenge. Combine that with an iconic closing stretch, and TPC Sawgrass has all the ingredients of a truly elite golf course.

Other news and results from the golfing world:

• 🇸🇬 Joaquin Niemann won his fourth LIV title in Singapore by 5 shots

  • Dustin Johnson led after a 63 on day one, but was unable to maintain his performance over the weekend and ended in a tie for fifth

  • Jon Rahm continued his streak of finishing every LIV event in the top 10, finishing alongside Johnson in fifth

  • Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC won their third straight team title, finishing three shots ahead of Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII

• Sawgrass always produces opportunities for the best players in the world to make great shots. It also produces opportunities for embarrassment…

  • Shot of the week: Rory McIlroy found himself in trouble on the right hand side of the 18th hole. His approach was an absolutely beauty that set him up for birdie, again highlighting his ability to focus on the next shot

  • Shank of the week: It is nice to know that sometimes, even the best players in the world get it wrong. Step up, Ludvig Åberg.

  • Show of the week: Alex Smalley’s ball decided to entertain all of the patrons surrounding the island green at the 17th, making its way down the wooden cladding for what seemed like an eternity before finally plopping into the water

Trivia Corner 🤔

With his win this weekend, Rory McIlroy joined an exclusive club of players that have won at least two Players Championships and two Majors. Scottie Scheffler also joined the list last year - who are the other two players that have achieved this feat?

Coming up on tour this week:

• 🏌️ The Valspar Championship boasts a strong field for a non-signature event, with Xander Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood, and Shane Lowry among those teeing it up at Innisbrook

  • Adrien Dumont de Chassart, the promising young Belgian who struggled on tour last year and lost his card, is teeing it up after getting through a qualifier for the event

• 📈 The DP World Tour begins its Asian Swing with the Singapore Classic

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