Storms Force Suspension of Players Championship Final Round at TPC Sawgrass
Severe weather suspended play during the final round of The Players Championship at 1:15 p.m. ET on Sunday, with Rory McIlroy holding a one-stroke lead through 11 holes at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
Tournament officials had attempted to avoid weather delays by starting early with threesome groupings. However, an approaching line of intense storms forced the suspension of play with the tournament leaders on the back nine.
At the time of stoppage:
- Rory McIlroy led by one stroke (playing hole 12)
- J.J. Spaun was one shot back
- Tom Hoge, Akshay Bhatia and Danny Walker were two shots behind
PGA Tour rules official Stephen Cox explained they had been monitoring the weather system for several days. The decision to use threesome groupings instead of traditional Sunday twosomes was made to try avoiding a Monday finish, though Cox acknowledged this remained a possibility given the weather conditions.
Tournament officials will evaluate conditions to determine when play can safely resume. The completion timeline will depend on the duration and severity of the weather system moving through the area.