Rory McIlroy might have looked composed as he sealed his second Players Championship on Monday, but the star has now admitted to being plagued by anxiety ahead of his play-off. After he and JJ Spaun finished 12 under par on Sunday, three extra holes were required on Monday as the pair played out the 16th, 17th, and 18th.
However, the dramatic shootout that many envisaged never materialised. A birdie on the par-five first gave the Northern Irishman the advantage, and after Spaun hit the water on the next hole and made a triple bogey by the final tee, the result was a formality. McIlroy tapped in for bogey to finish one over in a low-key finish, while Spaun picked up his ball at four over before his own putt for a five.
The win signified McIlroy’s second triumph in America as he turns his focus to the US Masters next month. However, after sealing the £4.38million prize, he admitted to struggling with nerves and a lack of sleep before he headed back to the course on Monday.
“Standing over that tee shot on 16 is the most nervous I’ve been in a long time,” he admitted. “I woke up at 3am (that morning) and could not get back to sleep.
“I think that will stand to me, feeling like that and being able to hit the golf shots that I need while your stomach is not feeling great, your legs are a little shaky, and your heart rate is racing. To have to go through that, it’s nice to have that in recent memory for some of the tournaments coming up.”
Indeed, McIlroy’s drive on the first extra hole was sumptuous, leaving him just a seven iron to reach the green in two. Furthermore, getting over the line in a tense finale has been cited as a psychological boost for the 35-year-old after his US Open collapse last year.
He still needs a win at Augusta to complete a career Grand Slam of major tournaments. That ambition has hung over him for over a decade since he won the third of his four majors at the Open Championship in 2014.
After his win at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy also outlined his desire to overhaul world No.1 Scottie Scheffler, adding: “Scottie has been on an unbelievable run and inspired all of us to try to be better. I need to be better if I want to compete with him. I’ve knuckled down.”
