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

Rory McIlroy woke early, far too early. It was 03:00 on Monday morning and his stomach was already starting to churn. He was three holes away from winning a second Players Championship and he felt the trophy should already be his.

Would this prove another big victory to elude him? The world number 57, JJ Spaun, stood between him and one of the most coveted crowns in the game.

As it turned out, the 35-year-old Northern Irishman was going to be able to celebrate this St Patrick's Day in style. McIlroy channelled his nerves while his American opponent faltered - his hopes drowning when he overshot the island green 17th, the second of the three play-off holes.

It sets up McIlroy perfectly for his latest tilt at completing the career Grand Slam of major titles when he goes to Augusta for next month's Masters. That's where the chat is going - will he do it and finally, at long, long last don the famous Green Jacket?

"I feel like I'm a better player now than I ever have been," he said. "I feel like I can play all conditions and in anything that comes my way."

First he must celebrate this win. It was achieved without his very best golf.

It would be an exaggeration to say he won it ugly, but he did it with a largely errant driver and was able to put himself in contention in a way that was beyond golf's other leading lights.

Sawgrass is a capricious test at the best of times. Throw in the fierce gusting winds of Saturday, Sunday's four-hour storm delay and the cold breeze of the extra morning, which blew from a completely different direction, and it is the toughest of propositions.

It had already been too much for defending champion Scottie Scheffler, likewise Open and US PGA Championship winner Xander Schauffele, who only scraped into the weekend. It was too much too for Ludwig Aberg, who missed the cut.

McIlroy held it together, coming from four behind on the final day to lead by three before being caught by Spaun to force a play-off for which Sunday evening did not hold sufficient daylight.

Yes McIlroy was nervous on Monday. As nervous as he has ever been over a tee shot when the play-off began - but he did not show it. Instead, he striped a majestic drive to tell Spaun unequivocally who was the boss for this shootout.

There is an encouraging pragmatism about McIlroy these days. Deciding to abandon erratic new woods three rounds into the Arnold Palmer Invitational last week was an important change of mind.

The $1000 taxi fare to ferry his old woods from his West Palm Beach mansion was money very well spent as he went back to his old set up for Sawgrass, home of the biggest tournament of the year so far.

And then before the play-off, McIlroy changed his hitting angles to rehearse the nine-iron shot into the wind that he would need for the pivotal second hole of the play-off.

Experience told in both instances, just as it did when he abandoned big hitting for the final hole at Pebble Beach in February to secure his first PGA Tour title of 2025.

And then came his honest admission of the nerves he was feeling. It is as though he was embracing them rather than allowing them to be the sort of demon that derailed him when he held a winning position at last year's US Open.

"I woke up at 03:00 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep," he told reporters. "I was as nervous as I can remember."

Which is why the opening drive of the play-off was so important. He needed to go out and get the victory.

"If you play to win and you've hit an aggressive shot and you've hit a really good shot, I think that can relax you and it can calm your nervous system," he said.

"If you're playing sort of 'guidey' golf and just trying to not lose, I don't think that sort of golf calms you down."

McIlroy revealed he felt a turning point after painfully losing last year's Irish Open. The following week he charged into a play-off at Wentworth and although he lost it to Billy Horschel's eagle in the BMW PGA shoot out there was hope.

Then he went to the Middle East and ended his season with a crucial victory in the DP World Tour Championship. "I feel that period, October, November, was a pretty important one," he said.

"And I was able to do some good work on my swing and then test it out pretty much straight after in a couple of tournaments, and I feel like that's carried into this year.

"It doesn't feel like I'm making those mistakes at the critical times like I was previously. I think a big part of that was just learning from those mistakes."

And so to carry the momentum to Georgia next month. There will be a stop in Texas prior to the Masters, but already none of his big rivals can boast such an impressive form line heading into the year's first major.

"It's about doubling down and working on the things I've been working on," McIlroy told BBC Sport. "And to make sure that I'm 100% ready to go for Augusta."