The PGA Tour’s top stars are all at TPC Sawgrass this week for The Players Championship. After a windy Saturday, JJ Spaun held a one-shot lead but Sunday has belonged to Rory McIlroy so far. But The Players is in a weather delay with McIlroy holding the solo lead.
PGA TOUR officials are closely monitoring the weather and play is expected to resume later this afternoon. Updates regarding resumption of play and gate reopening times will be shared via THE PLAYERS Championship social channels and website. #THEPLAYERS | @PGATOUR pic.twitter.com/5NH6SnZE2G
— THE PLAYERS (@THEPLAYERS) March 16, 2025
Rain was falling on and off throughout the morning at TPC Sawgrass but thunder and lightning rolled in just after 1:00 p.m. This was in the forecast all week and the PGA Tour did adjust to try and avoid it. Players went off in threesomes much earlier in the morning than originally planned.
McIlroy started Sunday at The Players with a birdie and an eagle to jump from -8 to -11 and one shot behind Spaun. His final hole before the weather delay was the 11th, which he birdied to take the solo lead. The Players has not always been kind to McIlroy, with some brutal finishes early in his career. But this could be his second win at the tournament, following his 2019 triumph.
The story of Saturday was the wind, which was howling and causing absolute chaos at TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy survived and took the lead into the weather delay. When he comes out, he’ll have seven holes to finish out the title.
The PLAYERS Championship continues to deliver
The 2024 PLAYERS Championship was one of the highlights of the PGA Tour season. Wyndham Clark lipped out a playoff-forcing putt to give Scottie Scheffler his second straight win. Scheffler became the first player ever to win in consecutive years at Sawgrass, which was the story coming into this year’s edition.
Despite not picking up any victories yet this year, Scheffler is still the top player in the world. He has contended in nearly every tournament he has played in but has not cashed in like he did last year. The PLAYERS was his second win of the season, which ended with seven official wins plus an Olympic Gold Medal.
Now, a leaderboard full of stars and relative no-names takes on the back nine at TPC Sawgrass. McIlroy is being chased by Spaun, 23-year-old Akshay Bhatia, zero-time Tour winner Bud Cauley, and other guys who are not household names.
There is no question that it will be a great finish at The PLAYERS. The only question left is if they can finish the tournament on Sunday, as they are running out of daylight in Ponta Vedra Beach.
The post Rory McIlroy’s charge into lead at The PLAYERS interrupted by weather delay appeared first on ClutchPoints.
