ONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. — The playoff was only three holes. Rory McIlroy needed only three swings. And yet his victory Monday over J.J. Spaun in The Players Championship revealed so much about the state of his game and the cruel nature of the notorious TPC Sawgrass.

McIlroy delivered an early knockout against J.J. Spaun with his best drive of the week that set up a simple birdie, followed by a three-quarter 9-iron into a cold, cackling wind that found land on the island green at the par-3 17th.

“By no means did I have my best stuff this week,” McIlroy said after becoming the eighth multiple winner of The Players. “But I was still able to win one of the biggest tournaments in the world. That’s a huge thing.”

It’s the first time in his career he has won twice going into the Masters, the major that for more than a decade has kept him from joining golf’s most elite group with the career Grand Slam.

Spaun’s 8-Iron Shot Sails Over the Island Green

Spaun thought he had the perfect answer until he saw his 8-iron sail over the island on the second playoff hole, ending his hopes of the biggest win of his career.

“Can I watch this?” Spaun said as he sat at a table, his eyes trained on a television in the back of the media center showing a replay of his tee shot on the 17th. It was his first time seeing where the ball landed — just beyond the wooden frame and into the water. He had only heard groans from the gallery.

And he still couldn’t believe it.

“I never thought it was long,” he said quietly. “I never thought it was long.”

The first three-hole playoff in 10 years at The Players was caused by a four-hour rain delay on Sunday. McIlroy had to make a 4-foot par putt on the 72nd hole. Spaun had a 30-foot birdie putt for the win that stopped inches short.

The Masters Is a Month Away

Any mention to The Players being the fifth major or even resembling one is not where McIlroy wants to go right now because he knows the real one — the big one — is a month away at Augusta National. The trick now is to keep his game in good stead. He also won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am last month. He plans to add one more start in Houston or San Antonio before the Masters.

“Everything feels like it’s in good working order at the minute,” he said. “Just keep practicing and doing the right things and practicing the right habits, and day after day, week after week, they all add up to days like today.”