Nervous McIlroy's Players win sets him up perfectly for Masters tilt

Rory McIlroy was wide awake far earlier than normal. At three o'clock on Monday morning, his stomach was already churning. Just three holes away from winning his second Players Championship title, he felt the trophy should already have been his.

Would this become yet another significant victory that eluded him? World No. 57 J.J. Spaun stood between him and one of golf's most coveted crowns. Ultimately, the 35-year-old Northern Irishman was able to celebrate on St. Patrick's Day. McIlroy controlled his nerves, while his American opponent faltered—his hopes dashed when he overshot the island green on the 17th, the second of three playoff holes.

This victory sets the perfect stage for McIlroy's quest for a career Grand Slam at the Masters in Augusta next month. The focus of discussion centers on this—can he succeed and finally don that famous green jacket? "I feel like I'm a better player now than I've ever been," he said, "I feel like I can compete in any conditions, on any golf course, and face any challenge."

First, he must celebrate this victory. It was a victory achieved without him playing at his absolute best. While it would be an exaggeration to say he won ugly, he did win despite a poor performance off the tee, managing to keep himself in contention in a way that other top players could not. The Sawgrass course is a fickle test at the best of times.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler was overwhelmed, and Open and US PGA champion Xander Schauffele barely made it to the weekend. Ludvig Aberg also succumbed, missing the cut. McIlroy withstood the pressure, coming from four shots behind in the final round to lead by three, before being pegged back by Spaun, forcing a playoff that ran out of daylight on Sunday evening.

Yes, McIlroy felt the nerves on Monday. He admitted that he felt more nervous on the tee at the start of the playoff than he can remember feeling before—but he didn't show it. Instead, he hit a stunning drive, making it clear to Spaun who was in control of this duel. The McIlroy of today is showing an encouraging pragmatism.

The $1,000 taxi fare to transport his old driver from his mansion in West Palm Beach was money well spent, as he reverted to his previous setup for Sawgrass, home of what is, so far, the most important event of the year. Then, before the playoff, McIlroy changed his launch angle to practice the shot he needed to hit a nine-iron into the wind, a key second shot on the playoff hole.

Experience played a part in both of those things, just as it did when he laid up on the final hole at Pebble Beach in February to secure his first PGA Tour title of 2025. Then there's his candid admission of the nerves he felt. It seems he is embracing those emotions, rather than letting them become the kind of demons that derailed him at last year's US Open when he held the lead.

"I woke up at three o'clock this morning and couldn't get back to sleep," he told reporters. "I was feeling the pressure, more so than I've felt in a while." That's why the tee shot in the playoff was so important. He needed to go out and win it. "If you play to win and you hit aggressive shots and you hit great shots, I think that can settle you down, it can calm your nervous system," he said. "If you play sort of 'guide-y' golf and just try not to lose, I don't think that golf calms you down."

McIlroy revealed that he felt a turning point after painfully losing last year's Irish Open. The following week, he charged into a playoff at Wentworth, and while he lost that BMW PGA Championship duel to Billy Horschel's eagle, the hope was there. He then went to the Middle East to end his season with a crucial victory at the DP World Tour Championship. "I feel like that little stretch there, October, November, was really important," he said. "I was able to do some good work on my swing and then immediately put it to the test in a few events, and I feel like that's carried over into this year."

"It feels like I'm not making those mistakes at the critical moments like I used to. I think a big part of that is just learning from those mistakes." So to carry that momentum into Georgia next month. He will make a stop in Texas before the Masters, but none of his main rivals can boast such impressive form heading into the year's first major. "It's about doubling down and continuing to work on the things I've been working on," McIlroy told BBC Sport. "And making sure I'm 100 per cent ready to go for Augusta."