Players Championship recap: Was the move to March good for golf, and are we too tough on Rory McIlroy?

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Had just about any other golfer on the planet ripped off five consecutive top-six finishes on the PGA Tour to start the year, the golf media might consider handing out a special award. But Rory McIlroy received more attention for not winning than for playing consistently great golf these past couple months. Perhaps, that’s unfair, but such are the lofty expectations for a man who won his fourth major championship by the time he was 25.

However, McIlroy ended all the “Why can’t Rory close?!” chatter at the Players. At least, for now. With a resilient back nine on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass, McIlroy edged Jim Furyk to become just the third player in the Masters Era to reach 15 PGA Tour wins and four majors before 30. And he’s now the odds-on favorite to win the Masters.

Related: Catch up on all the Golf Digest Podcasts

Before our minds start drifting to Augusta, though, there are plenty of questions to answer. Are we too tough on Rory? Was the Players move to March good for golf? And what the heck was Jon Rahm thinking on the 11th hole on Sunday?! Our reporter on the ground in Ponte Vedra Beach, Chris Powers, joins Sam Weinman and myself to recap an exiting week at TPC Sawgrass. Please have a listen:

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