Rory McIlroy WINS Players Championship and targets Masters victory
RORY MCILROY won the Players Championship with a storming final round at Sawgrass.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy set up his assault on the Masters later this spring with a stunning round on Sunday.
McIlroy headed into the final round two under par and in contention for the title.
And he knuckled down to at the turn to post birdies on holes 11, 12, 15 and 16 to suddenly race clear.
He had two putts to win on the final green.
And he needed the second to sink the ball for a -16 finish and secure a memorable triumph.
"The birdie on 12 was huge to give me momentum,” McIlroy said.
"The final holes were tough and to get that birdie on 15 after the drop shot on 14 was massive. To par the last few holes was great.
“That gives me confidence going forward. Obviously this is a massive season.”
It’s a golf course similar to how it will play at Augusta
Asked about his Masters aspirations McIlroy said: “If I hadn’t have won today I would have said I wouldn’t need a win going into Augusta.
“But it’s very nice get a win.
“It’s a golf course similar to how it will play at Augusta.
“I’ve taken a lot from this. I’m playing some of the best golf in my life right now and I just need to keep going and doing the same thing.”
McIlroy finished a shot ahead of Jim Furyk (-15) and two in front of Eddie Pepperell and Jhonattan Vegas.
Tommy Fleetwood, who was in with a chance earlier in the day, suffered a number of blunders on his final round to end way down.
McIlroy had never won the Players Championship heading into this week’s event.
But his spirited fight on Sunday sees him claim the £1.7m winners’ cheque.
And his win sets him up nicely for the Masters, which gets underway at Augusta on April 11.
The Masters is the one major Rory McIlroy has not won, with his best position coming in 2015 when he finished fourth.
McIlroy has not won a major since 2014 but winning the Players Championship is a sign he could be turning things around.
Furyk birdied to last hole to stay in contention for the title.
And the American admitted he was just delighted to have made it to the Players Championship.
“I really was hoping for the opportunity here. That finish at the Honda Classic gave me the opportunity to play here,” he said.
“I wanted to play aggressive, keep the pedal down and I did that all week.
“I knew I had to make birdie so took the seven iron out. It was nice from three feet.
“I’ve been playing well so my confidence level has been rising.
“To do it under the gun in contention to win one of the biggest prizes in golf definitely helped. I played well in this tournament.”