In the cold and wind, thousands of spectators gathered to watch Rory McIlroy win The Players Championship with 47 minutes of brilliant golf. McIlroy, with his superb skills and consistent performance, finally lifted the championship trophy, earning cheers from the audience.

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The Players Championship featured a three-hole playoff for the first time in 10 years, between McIlroy and John Michael "JJ" Spaun II. McIlroy is a highly acclaimed player who has won 39 victories worldwide. The 34-year-old Spaun, on the other hand, has only one PGA Tour title and had never broken 70 at TPC Sawgrass before this week. The tournament was also affected by a four-hour rain delay on Sunday.

The playoff lasted only three holes, and McIlroy needed only three swings to win the richest event in golf for the second time. He also won the championship in 2019, and that day happened to be St. Patrick's Day. "It's a lucky charm for me," said the Northern Irishman. This victory not only proved his strength but also reflected the cruelty of TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy showed excellent competitive form in the match against Spaun. His best drive of the week created an easy birdie opportunity for him, and then in the cold wind, he used a three-quarter 9-iron to send the ball to the island green of the 17th hole. After the game, McIlroy said: "My condition was not the best this week, but I was still able to win one of the most important events in the world, which is significant."

This is the first time in his career that he has won twice before participating in the Masters, a major that has prevented him from joining the most elite Grand Slam ranks in golf for more than a decade. Spaun thought he could cope perfectly until he saw his 8-iron fly over the island and fall into the water, ending his hopes of winning the biggest victory of his career. Spaun sat in front of the TV in the media center, watching the replay of his tee shot on the 17th hole, incredulously saying, "I never thought it would go that far."

McIlroy revealed that he woke up at 3 a.m. and couldn't fall asleep again. He practiced teeing off with the wind from the right, and in order to practice hitting the ball in the correct wind direction, McIlroy turned around and hit the ball from the practice range towards the third hole green. Throughout the week, McIlroy's tee shots were unstable, and he almost missed half of the fairways. But he set the tone with the best drive of the week, a 336-yard blast that sent the ball to the center of the fairway, creating an opportunity for him to attack the par-5 16th hole with a wedge from 176 yards away, and he ultimately two-putted for a birdie.

McIlroy's brilliant performance on the 17th hole ultimately sealed the victory. Spaun used a higher trajectory to hit an 8-iron against the strong wind from the right, and his first reaction was to shout, "Get up!" He said: "It looked like it was going to be short. I was stunned, I couldn't believe it went that far. I was happy with my swing, the wind must have just weakened a little bit, and then it went through the wind. The timing was wrong."

McIlroy made a 4-foot par putt on the 72nd hole. Spaun had a 30-foot birdie putt to win the game, but it ultimately stopped a few inches from the hole. McIlroy was disappointed that he lost a three-shot lead on the back nine and looked forward to the playoff: "Hit five good shots tomorrow morning and end it all." As a result, he only needed three balls—a driver and wedge on the 16th hole, and a 9-iron on the 17th hole—to defeat Spaun and win the $4.5 million prize.

Any claim that The Players Championship is the fifth major or even comparable to a major is not what McIlroy wants to hear now, because he knows that the real major—the main event—will be held at Augusta National Golf Club in a month. The trick now is to maintain his good form. He also won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month. He plans to participate in another game in Houston or San Antonio before the Masters.

Spaun finished second, winning $2.725 million and rising to 25th in the world rankings, enough to secure his qualification for the Masters. Spaun said: "This is a good consolation for this week." McIlroy said: "Everything feels like it's working well. As long as you keep practicing, do the right things, develop the right habits, day after day, week after week, they will all accumulate into today's achievements."