Scottie Scheffler overturned a five-shot deficit to become the first player to successfully defend the Players Championship in the tournament's 50-year history.
Scheffler carded an eagle and six birdies in a flawless closing 64 at Sawgrass to finish 20 under par, a shot ahead of US Open champion Wyndham Clark, Open champion Brian Harman and Xander Schauffele.
Clark birdied the 16th and 17th to keep his hopes alive but agonisingly lipped out for another birdie on the last to force a play-off.
One ... shot ... short ... 💔
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 17, 2024
Heartbreak for Wyndham Clark on the 72nd hole @THEPLAYERS. pic.twitter.com/6d1Qa3elOa
Overnight leader Schauffele paid the price for dropped shots on the 14th and 15th and also missed from seven feet for birdie on the treacherous 17th.
It continues a stunning run of form for the World No. 1 who also destroyed the field last Sunday to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
"It’s pretty special," Scheffler told CBS. "It’s something you don’t really get the opportunity to do very often.
"It’s tough enough to win one Players so to have it back-to-back is extremely special and I’m really thankful.
"I put up a good fight for four days, Teddy (Scott, his caddie) kept me in a good head space. We had a great finish yesterday, got off to a slow start today and then the hole-out on four kind of propelled us a little bit.
"I hit a lot of good shots today, did a lot of good things this week and it’s nice to come out on top."
Asked how he had coped with the neck injury he suffered during Friday’s second round, Scheffler added: "I’m a pretty competitive guy and didn’t want to give up in the tournament.
"I did what I could to hang around until my neck got better and then today it felt really good."
Scheffler kickstarted his challenge by holing out from 92 yards for an eagle on the fourth and also birdied the fifth, eighth and ninth to race to the turn in 31.
That gave the world number one his first share of the lead and although Schauffele moved back in front with birdies on the seventh and ninth, Scheffler birdied the 11th and then drove the green on the short par-four 12th to set up another.
Pin high from 326 yards away.
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 17, 2024
Scottie Scheffler drives the green on the par-4 12th. pic.twitter.com/Xp9vMMC0KZ
Schauffele picked up a shot on the same hole to take the outright lead again, but Scheffler birdied the 16th to draw level before Schauffele crucially dropped shots on the 14th and 15th.
Clark's chance looked to have gone when he bogeyed the 14th to fall three behind, but the world number five – who also finished runner-up to Scheffler at Bay Hill – birdied the 16th and 17th before somehow missing out on his hat-trick on the last.
"I don’t know how that putt doesn’t go in," Clark said. "It was kind of right centre with like a foot to go, and I knew it was going to keep breaking, but it had speed and I thought it was going to go inside left, and even when it kind of lipped, I thought it would lip in. I’m pretty gutted it didn’t go in.
"I just played back-to-back weeks on two pretty challenging golf courses that I traditionally haven’t done very well on, and just went second and second. I’ll take those positives. I played awesome in both weeks.
"Maybe next week sometime I’ll really be able to look at those positives and feel good about it, but right now I’m pretty down."
Earlier, Shane Lowry finished the Players Championship on a high note with a closing 66 to leap into the top-20.
The 2019 Open Champion was a whisker away from repeating his famous hole-on-one at the legendary island green at 17, his tee shot sliding inches by the hole in front of the raucous grandstands. A smiling Lowry did tidy up on the green, sinking his eighth and final birdie of a fine closing round.
Can you imagine?! 🍀
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 17, 2024
@ShaneLowryGolf was INCHES from his second hole-in-one on 17 @THEPLAYERS! pic.twitter.com/JU1rbUwawI
Beginning the day in tied-51st on three-under par, Lowry burned it up on the outward nine, birdieing three of the opening four holes, adding two more on 7 and 9 to reach the turn in 31 strokes.
An 11ft eagle putt on the 11th slid by but the birdie took him to nine-under. He stumbled over the subsequent holes, bogeying 12 and 15 to fall back outside the top 30.
But he finished with a flourish, birdieing the long 16th before the near ace on the island green to break inside the top-20 by the close of his round.
Rory McIlroy wound up on the same score after tapping in at the 72nd, albeit his emotions have been less buoyant at the finish.
The 2019 Players Champion, who was tied for the lead after a 65 on Thursday, had to settle for an even par 72 to finish on nine under.
McIlroy was out in 37, back in 35, carding five birdies and five bogeys on Sunday. He briefly caught a hot streak early on the back nine, with birdies a 10, 11 and 14 but found the water at the 18th, finishing with a dropped stroke.
"I did the same thing at the back end of 2020 I remember, I was making a ton of birdies and making a ton of mistakes as well," McIlroy said.
"It's not all bad. It could be a lot worse, I guess. If these are the worst finishes that I’m going to have, I feel like that’s my floor and I haven’t quite got to the golf that I’ve wanted to play to get to my ceiling.
"Hopefully, over the next few weeks I can work at it and get closer to that level of golf."
After a dismal 78 on Saturday, Seamus Power recovered with a 69 on Sunday to post an even par score. The two-time PGA Tour winner recorded six birdies and three bogeys as he wound up tied-65th.
With additional reporting: PA
