How to watch 2025 Players Championship playoff between Rory McIlroy and J.J. Spaun

Despite the PGA Tour moving up tee times several hours for the final round of the 2025 edition of The Players Championship, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass couldn't escape the wrath of Mother Nature on Sunday, as inclement weather halted play at 1:15 p.m. Eastern.

And what ultimately turned out to be a four-hour delay may have been exactly what J.J. Spaun needed to happen, as Rory McIlroy was seemingly set to run away with the tournament after a blistering start that saw him go birdie-eagle on the first two holes en route to a front-nine 33.

Spaun, meanwhile, couldn't get much going on his opening nine, making just one birdie against a pair of bogeys to go out in 1-over 37.

Rory ultimately went into the break with a one-shot lead at 12-under after making a birdie at the par-5 11th, where Spaun made bogey coming out of the delay, thus dropping to 10-under. And after McIlroy birdied the 12th when play resumed, Spaun found himself down three strokes.

But the tide turned from there, as McIlroy couldn't seal the deal, dropping a shot with a bogey at the 14th and making pars on the final four holes to finish at 12-under.

Spaun got to within one with a birdie at the 14th, hitting a beautiful approach to about 14 inches for an easy three. He then gave himself another easy birdie at the par-5 16th, hitting his third to within a foot for a tap-in four to tie McIlroy at 12-under.

After an impressive two-putt par at the famed par-3 17th, Spaun gave himself a chance to win the tournament at the last, only to watch his 30-foot putt on the 18th green come up just three inches short of the cup.

With darkness setting in, there simply wasn't enough time to get to the three-hole aggregate playoff, which will take place early Monday morning.

The Rory McIlroy-J.J. Spaun playoff to decide the 2025 Players Championship will begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday morning

Monday morning's showdown will be the sixth playoff in Players Championship history and the first since Rickie Fowler defeated Kevin Kisner and Sergio Garcia in 2015.

As mentioned, McIlroy and Spaun will engage in a three-hole aggregate playoff on Nos. 16, 17, and 18 at TPC Sawgrass.

If they're still tied after those three holes, the playoff then becomes a sudden-death situation, starting at the 17th and then moving to the 18th if necessary.

If the two are still tied at that point, McIlroy and Spaun will play the 16th, 17th, and 18th, in order, under sudden-death rules until a winner is crowned.

The playoff will begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern on Monday morning and can be seen on Golf Channel, Peacock, and the NBC Sports app.