The long, and sometimes agonising wait is over with Rory McIlroy sensationally celebrating St. Patrick’s Day and silencing his critics with victory at the Players Championship.

McIlroy emerged a deserved winner posting very much an emotional roller-coaster 14 holes before birding both the 15^th and 16^th and go on to claim a one-shot success with a 70 for a one shot 16-under par triumph

McIlroy denied last year’s Versailles losing US Ryder Cup captain, Jim Furyk who stormed home under overcast skies to post an eight-under par 64 for a 15-under tally.

Furyk, and to his enormous credit, was waiting near the scorer’s hut to congratulate McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy beaming in becoming a Players Champion. (Photo – PGATour.com)

“This is a very special win and I just tried to treat it like another day even though I’ve had a lot of close calls this year”, said a beaming McIlroy.

“They didn’t mean anything to me and, if anything, they were good for me.

“I called them ‘remote misses’ as they gave me more hope to continue to go forward and go close again, so all those experiences this year have led me to this point.

“Ultimately, they were good for m as they got me over the line today.

“The final few holes were tough but to get the birdie on 15 after having to take the bogey on 14 was massive.

“I knew 16 was a good chance and then to par the last two holes, and hit three good shots when I needed to gives me a lot of confidence going forward.

“I’ve had a great start to the season and this is a massive win but the way I played those last few holes gives me so much confidence, as I said, going forward.”

The new World No. 4 ranked McIlroy had sent shockwaves into his fans doubling the fourth before regrouping to play his remaining 14-holes in three-under.

As McIlroy made his way to the 72^nd green he took off his Nike cap and then waved his putter triumphantly before holing out for par and heading to the scorer’s hut to chants of ‘Rory, Rory, Rory’.

All 15 of Rory McIlroy’s PGA Tour victories. (Photo – PGATour.com)

The win is McIlroy’s 15^th PGA Tour triumph, his 24^th worldwide and comes with the Masters just a month away.

McIlroy also had been 0-9 since the start of 2018 season when starting out in the final group, has finally put that stat also to bed.

There was no emerald green in McIlroy’s last day attire but he made his Sawgrass rivals green with envy in capturing the $2.25m first prize cheque and the richest in golf.

McIlroy went into the final day sharing second place on 14-under par and knowing that seven of his 14 PGA Tour victories have come when he had not been leading ahead of day four.

However, McIlroy’s best finish in nine prior Players appearances was a T6th in 2014 while his only other top-10 was a year later in sharing eighth place.

Though there was one very positive pre-round stat to boost his hopes of victory and that was he led the field in players the par-3s to be five-under on the ‘3’s for the three rounds.

However, it was a horror start for a second day running for the World No. 6 when he made a total hash of the par-4 fourth hole sending his second shot into water guarding the green before eventually three-putting for a double-bogey ‘6’.

McIlroy clawed one back when he landed his 113-yard second shot at the par-4 sixth hole but was back to two-over for the day and drop to tied fourth in bogeying the seventh.

Then for a second time in three rounds McIlroy birdied the par-5 ninth to head the ‘business end’ of the $US 12.5m event to be at 13-under and back to one shot off the lead, and where he had kick-started the final day.

He pared the 10th, and with those around starting to look shaky, McIlroy stepped-up to find the 11^th green after having sent his tee shot into a fairway bunker and then two-putt from 30-feet for birdie and get back into a share of second at 14-under.

There was calls of ‘Here comes Rory’ when, after missing the green right at the 12^th green, he chipped to 11-feet to sensationally hole the birdie putt and move into the lead at 15-under par.

A par followed at 13 but with McIlroy again giving his fans further grey hairs in sticking his second into a greenside trap and failing to get up-and-down in taking a second bogey of the day.

Then for a second time on his inward half McIlroy found a fairway but and this time off the 15^th tee but superbly landed his second to 13-feet and then to absolute delight of his fans, and with plenty of Irish in the crowd, the putt dropped so that McIlroy was to 15-under and back into the lead.

And the Ulsterman’s fifth birdie of the day dropped just moments before Furyk birdied the last in a round of 67 to snatch the clubhouse lead at 15-under par.

McIlroy was now staring at just three-holes left to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in ending a 53-week victory absence and also become the first Irishman to lift the ‘new’ Players victory trophy.

The roar around the par-5 16^th said it all with McIlroy incredibly sending his 173-yard second shot to 19-feet and while just missing an eagle ‘3’ he comfortably holed out for birdie and go to 16-under.

One in front, two holes to play and a long-overdue 15^th Tour at the fingertips.

McIlroy didn’t disappoint grabbing a pair of pars for his biggest career win since September 2016 in capturing the Tour Championship.