Ponte Vedra Beach (Florida), March 17 : Rory McIlroy won the 51st edition of The Players Championship on Monday, outlasting J.J. Spaun in a three-hole aggregate playoff.

In the process, he became the first European to capture two Players titles, having also conquered TPC Sawgrass' Stadium Course in 2019, and he joined Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler as the only players with multiple major and Players victories.

"I am unbelievably proud and happy to win my second Players," said the world number two.

"It's the third time I've won on St Patrick's Day. It's been a good-luck charm for me," said Mcllroy.

It was a wild week at TPC Sawgrass, capped by McIlroy's overtime performance that delivered an outright win. McIlroy also captured the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February, and this marks the first time that he has won twice on Tour ahead of the Masters.

He's always a headliner at Augusta National Golf Club, where he'll renew his quest for the only major that has eluded him while also looking to snap an 11-year drought in the majors.

"I feel really bad for JJ. He hit a great shot on the 17th but it just went straight through the wind," he added.

Earlier on Sunday, Rory McIlroy let a few putts slip away down the stretch, while J.J. Spaun's tournament-winning birdie putt on the final green came up inches short. As a result, the two combatants were forced to return to the Course on Monday for a three-hole aggregate playoff, having finished tied atop the final leaderboard at 12 under 276, two shots ahead of Lucas Glover, Tom Hoge and Akshay Bhatia.

/IANS