Falls in playoff to McIlroy Spaun was defeated by Rory McIlroy in a three-hole aggregate playoff at THE PLAYERS Championship following an even-par 72 in the final round. Impact Spaun came into the final round holding the 54-hole lead looking for the first real signature win of his career. It got off to a bit of a bumpy start with bogeys on two of the first eight holes. It was a struggle for everyone on Sunday with wind, rain and later some lightning that caused a lengthy delay. Spaun came out ofter the break and added birdies at 14 and 16 to get back to 12-under-par and tie Rory McIlroy. Needing a birdie on 18 for the win, Spaun's putt ended just a rotation shy of dropping. It would force a playoff that would be contested Monday morning with impeding darkness. Spaun had a shaky start and was unable to birdie the downwind par-5 16th. He then stepped up to the par-3 17th and carved his iron shot right through the wind and over the green into the water. It would lead to a triple-bogey and pretty much end things with still one hole left to play. It certainly will be a tough memory to look back upon, but Spaun still has a lot that he can take out of this week. This is his third top-three finish of the season as he continues to hunt his second career PGA Tour win (2022 Valero Texas Open).
MARCH 17 • ROTOWIRE