The Players: Close, but no cigar for these golfers who had the title within their grasp

At one point Jim Furyk, John Rahm, Jhonattan Vegas, or Tommy Fleetwood sat in the lead or close at TPC Sawgrass, but just missed it, letting Rory McIlroy run away with the title.

The luck was with 29-year-old Rory McIlroy this St. Patrick’s Day, capturing his first Players championship. But the victory wasn’t assured. The Northern Irishman had secured top six finishes in six tourneys since last year.

And on Sunday at The Players, he watched his near-lead vanish on the last day, seeming to lack conviction to close out on a Sunday yet again. When the 15-time PGA winner double bogeyed the fourth hole, it looked like the doubts were creeping back in.

But this time was different.

The four-time Masters winner dug deep to find the resolve to close it out, hitting crucial birdies on the 14th and 15th holes, and steeled his nerves at the suicidal 17th, as well as the challenging 18th to silence his critics with par finishes at both, and no worries. With a first Players title, at only age 29, McIlroy is one of the few professional golfers who has achieved so much under the age of 30.

But there were several players who came so close to stealing McIlroy’s thunder.

Jim Furyk

The veteran golfer had the crowd rooting for him all along, to make his first PGA Tour title in years, at age 48. The former Ryder Cup captain certainly made a go of it, putting on a stunning display all event long, including an -8 on the second day. “Mr. 58” displayed plenty of juice with an impressive eagle at the second hole, and then started the back nine with two solid birdies. By the time he hit a final three-foot birdie at the 18th, his solid 67 finish put him in the temporary lead.

Not bad for a player who didn’t even know he had qualified for The Players until a week ago.

A win at TPC Sawgrass would have been quite a story for the tournament. But the bogey at the 15th cost him the chance of a playoff with McIlroy.

His runner up performance will move him up higher in the world golf rankings, however.

Jon Rahm

If there was one golfer who gave up the lead, it certainly was Jon Rahm, who had hovered at the top the first three days, hitting a 69 on day one, then 68, and an even more admirable 64 on moving day. The Spaniard had already committed three bogeys on the front nine on Sunday, but everyone had taken a few steps back starting out the day, Rahm no exception. Going into the back nine, the two-time PGA Tour winner was still sitting in the lead.

But it was a pivotal moment at the 11th, going against his caddy’s advice, when things started to unravel.

By the time the 24-year-old reached the death-defying 17th, he needed supreme confidence that had eluded him all day long. Dunking his ball into the water, the gut-wrenching hole cost him, culminating in a lethal double bogey that shot the three-time European champ further down the leaderboard, ending the day with a disappointing 76.

Jon Rahm will need to evaluate why he failed to close on the final day.

Jhonattan Vegas

Jhonattan Vegas had been inching up the leaderboard all day at TPC Sawgrass, hitting three birdies on the front nine, and following up with three on the back nine as well. But it was the spectacular way he tackled the 17th hole that became the most memorable shot of the tournament, shooting the longest putt in the hole’s history, at 70 feet. But don’t take my word for it, see it in all its glory for yourself.

The crowd went ballistic, naturally.

The Venezuelan hung just one behind the leader at times, but Rory McIlroy poured on the afterburners in the back nine and was just too good.

But it was the fearless mastery of a hole that has shattered the nerves of so many that will be etched in the memories of golf fans on Sunday.

Tommy Fleetwood

If there was another player besides Furyk who the crowd was pulling for, it was also Tommy Fleetwood, to win his first PGA Tour title. Even though the British player entered day three sharing the lead with McIlory, a dismal back nine on Sunday resulted in three bogeys and even a double bogey. The foreboding 17th was as kind to Fleetwood as it had been to Rahm, with his ball sailing into the water, but only costing him one stroke. A 73 finish took away all the momentum the 28-year-old had achieved in the first two days of the tournament, including starting out with a 65.

The four-time European Tour champion walks away from TPC Sawgrass still seeking his first PGA Tour win. Fans of the talented player are eager for the Abu Dhabi champion to fulfill his enormous potential and secure that career-defining PGA first.

McIlroy’s Day

After all the talk about failing to close so many tournaments prior to The Players, Rory McIlroy walks away with his first victory since last year. He can savor his moment and rest assured that he is a major contender to achieve the only Major that has eluded him thus far, The Masters, taking place at Augusta next month.