Rory McIlroy leads at The Players Championship as inclement weather suspends play

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The final round of The Players Championship was delayed due to weather and lightning on Sunday afternoon, as Rory McIlroy held the sole lead by a narrow margin more than halfway through his round. 

The delay followed Saturday’s announcement that tee times would be moved up to avoid extending the final round into Monday. 

Fans leave the course during a weather delay in the final round of The Players Championship, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

"We’ve been reviewing this weather for three or four days and, unfortunately, it’s held its pattern, and it looks like this line of storms are going to be quite intense," , Stephen Cox, vice president of rules and tournament administration, said, via the PGA Tour’s website.

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"Obviously, our preferred desire is to have one tee in two(somes) and this is the awkward balance that we face," he continued. "If we do roll the dice, as they say, and try and play off one tee in two(somes) we could easily find ourselves in a Monday finish."

Fans leave the course during a weather delay in the final round of The Players Championship, Sunday, March 16, 2025, in Florida. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Players on Sunday played in groups of three to try and avoid delaying the final round further, but lightning and rain in the area began rolling in at TPC Sawgrass around 1 p.m. local time. 

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The weather forecast for Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, included strong winds and the high chance of Thunderstorms