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

Rory McIlroy awoke way too early for him. His stomach was already churning at 3:00 on Monday morning. He believed the trophy should already be his, and he was only three holes away from winning a second Players Championship.

Would he lose out on another significant victory? JJ Spaun, the game’s 57th-ranked player, stowed his ring in opposition to one of the game’s most coveted crowns.

The 35-year-old Northern Irishman, as it turned out, would be able to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in style. McIlroy lost his nerves when his American opponent slammed into the island green 17th, the second of the three play-off holes, drowning in his hopes.

McIlroy’s latest attempt to win a major championship in Augusta will be perfect for the course of McIlroy’s latest attempt to win it there for the Masters next month. Will he succeed in that conversation and, at last, don the infamous Green Jacket?

He must firstly celebrate his victory. Without his best golf, it was not accomplished.

Although it would be exaggeration to say that he won it ugly, he did it with a largely errant driver and was able to put himself in contention beyond the other leading players.

Sometimes, sawgrass is a capricious test. It is the most difficult of all to deal with because of the fierce gusting winds of Saturday, Sunday’s four-hour storm delay, and the cold breeze from the extra morning, which blew from a completely different direction.

Scottie Scheffler, the current champion, and Xander Schauffele, the winner of the US Open and US PGA Championship, both had already had enough. Ludwig Aberg, who was cut out, was too much for him.

McIlroy held it together after coming from four behind on the final day to take the lead by three before being caught by Spaun, who had not had enough time on Sunday evening.

Yes, McIlroy was anxious on Monday. When the play-off started, he was as anxious as he was over a tee shot, but he did not disclose it. Instead, he sported a majestic desire to reveal unmistakably who this shootout’s boss was.

These days, McIlroy exhibits an encouraging pragmatism. Important mental shift occurred three rounds into the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, which included deciding to ditch erratic new woods.

The $1,000 taxi fare allowed him to return to his former setup for Sawgrass, the biggest tournament of the year so far, and was a wise decision.

Then, before the play-off, McIlroy changed his hitting angles to prepare for the crucial second hole of the match.

Experience proved invaluable in both instances, just as it did when he abandoned big hitting for the final hole of his 2025 PGA Tour career at Pebble Beach in February.

And then he openly acknowledged how nervous he was. It appears as though he was accepting them rather than allowing them to be the demon that derailled him at the US Open last year.

He told reporters, “I woke up at 3:00 this morning and couldn’t fall back asleep.” “I remember being as anxious as I can remember.”

Which is why the play-off’s opening drive was so crucial. He had to leave and win the victory.

“I think that can relax you and calm your nervous system if you play to win and you’ve hit an aggressive shot and you’ve hit a really good shot,” he said.

“I don’t think that kind of golf calms you down if you’re just trying to play some kind of “guidy” golf and not losing.”

McIlroy revealed that after suffering a painful defeat at the Irish Open last year, he felt a turning point. There was hope in his charge the following week in a play-off at Wentworth, where he lost to Billy Horschel’s eagle in the BMW PGA shootout.

Then, he traveled to the Middle East, where he won the DP World Tour Championship, which was crucial. He claimed that the October and November period was “quite significant.”

“And I was able to work on my swing a little bit better before testing it out in a few tournaments, and I think that’s been carried over to this year.”

It doesn’t seem like I’m acting in those critical situations like I did in the past. I believe a large portion of that was simply by growing from those flaws.

And so will Georgia follow in the momentum next month. No one of his major rivals can boast such impressive form in the lead up to the year’s first major, but there will be a stop in Texas before the Masters.