Aw, man … I feel for J.J. here.
J.J. Spaun was absolutely on point for not one, not two, not three, but four days at TPC Sawgrass, but sadly for him, things went downhill and quickly when he had to play in a three-hole playoff Monday morning against Rory McIlroy. And to make it worse for him, this was with The Players Championship up for grabs, one of the most prestigious and competitive tournaments.
McIlroy was an ace in the first playoff hole, hitting a birdie on the par 5 16th. Spaun, on the other hand, managed par but things were a bit out of whack in the process.
With the momentum swung in the direction of McIlroy, Spaun still had an opportunity to win the tournament facing a scenario on the par 3 17th hole, where anything can happen. McIlroy hit his tee shot to a distance of 29 feet. (RELATED: President Trump Says He Won Golf Championship, But It’s Coming Along With Some Potentially Sad News)
For Spaun, the assignment seemed simple: get your ball on land to put yourself in an opportunity to get birdie (or par in a worst-case scenario), and then just move on to the 18th.
Originally, it looked like it was a good shot by Spaun. However, his “chippy” 8-iron failed him and the ball went right into the water. What he attempted to do was make up for the wind, however, all he did was lose the wind — minus the ‘d’.
In response, Spaun was completely shellshocked, and judging by how good things were looking, you can’t help but to feel his pain.
WATCH:
Splash for Spaun on 17 💔 pic.twitter.com/Rdj0eYu6nM
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 17, 2025
Rough stuff … shake it off and on to the next one, J.J.