Could that be it for Rory McIlroy before he tees up at Augusta National Golf Club in defence of the Masters title? It looks like it, for the Northern Irishman – who closed with a 71 for level par 288 in The Players at TPC Sawgrass – is unlikely to add any further events to his itinerary.
The title was claimed by Cameron Young, who played a brilliant final round 68 for a winning total of 13-under 275.
Ludvig Åberg had carried a three-shot lead into the final round in his quest for a third career win on the PGA Tour but suffered a final round disaster with back-to-back water balls on the 11th and 12th holes to be derailed, while Young – with five birdies, including a critical 10-footer on the Par 3 17th, and just one bogey – held off England’s Matt Fitzpatrick to win by one stroke.
McIlroy, who was a doubtful starter after suffering a back injury which forced his withdrawal from the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week, managed to survive the cut to complete four rounds, even if he finished in a different zip code to the winner, some 13 shots behind in tied-46th.
Yet, completing all four rounds was viewed by McIlroy as a “small win” in itself given that he was an uncertain starter at all on Thursday morning.
There are three tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule before the Masters – this coming week’s Valspar championship and two back-to-back in Texas – and, as of now, McIlroy is not entered in any of them in the aim of arriving in Augusta fit and well for the defence of his green jacket.
When asked about any temptation to perhaps add another tournament, McIlroy wouldn’t commit fully: “I haven’t really made a decision either way. I’ll see how my body feels. We’ll see how I feel in practice and at home and if I get itchy feet maybe I’ll add an event at some point. I feel like it was important to make the weekend here and play an extra couple of days … [I will] just see how the next week goes, see how once I get back to a full practice schedule and in the gym and stuff like that, see how my body reacts to that … and then I’ll see.”
Cameron Young played a brilliant final round 68 for a winning total of 13-under 275. Photograph: James Gilbert/Getty Images
In taking the positives from completing all four rounds, McIlroy added: “happy I got through four days and my body feels good. I feel like my game sort of progressively got a little bit better as the week went on, even though the scores probably didn’t reflect it over the weekend. I hit the ball well. I just didn’t make anything on the greens. Happy to come through four rounds and feel like my body held up well.”
If, as would seem likely, Sawgrass proves the last tournament outing ahead of the Masters, there were few similarities between the challenge in Florida and what awaits in Augusta.
As McIlroy put it, “Maybe some of the approach shots, some of the visuals off the tee [were similar]. Around the greens is completely different. You’re hacking out of five-inch rough around here and you’re getting these awkward lies. Around the greens is not very similar. But maybe some approach shots and visuals off tees.”
Séamus Power endured a tough weekend with closing rounds of 74 and 76 after making the cut to finish in tied-70th on 296, with just Japanese player Takumi Kanaya behind him.