Spence Slams the Door at The Players — Playoffs Picture Comes Into Focus

DGA Tour
Sep 1
4 min read

Jack Spence finished the regular season the way a No. 1 should—by winning. His 78 (+8 gross, +7 net) at The Players Championship was enough to top the field and lock down a third victory and seventh top-5 of 2025, pushing his season total to 515 points. On a course that chewed up almost everyone, Spence’s card was the blueprint: 1 birdie, 9 pars, 7 bogeys, 1 double, 0 triples. No fireworks, no disasters—just fewer mistakes than the rest.

The Day in Hard Numbers

Across the first eight events this season, the tour averaged 0.79 birdies, 5.64 pars, 7.62 bogeys, 2.97 doubles, 0.98 triples per player. At The Players, those profiles went sideways: 0.10 birdies, 5.10 pars, 7.10 bogeys, 3.90 doubles, 1.80 triples per player. Translation: the field didn’t bleed bogeys—it hemorrhaged doubles and triples. Only one birdie was recorded all day (Spence’s).

Podium & Punch List

2) Seth Paszke (+9 net, 93 gross)Best finish of his year, and he earned it by surviving the chaos: 0 birdies, 5 pars, 6 bogeys, 5 doubles, 2 triples. He never found a red number, but he limited the damage better than most.

T-3) Harry Gilmore & Kyler Messner (+12 net, 84 gross)

Harry: One of the steadier cards in the field—8 pars, 5 bogeys, 4 doubles, 1 triple, plus a 10 on the card that could’ve derailed him. He steadied and still reached the podium.
Kyler: Quiet grind—0 birdies, 8 pars, 7 bogeys, 2 doubles, 1 triple—for the same 84. It wasn’t flashy, but it was resilient on a day where that mattered most.

The Rest of the Board (and Why It Matters)

Auston Sorg, 5th (+14 net, 89 gross)Six doubles tell the story (0-5-7-6-0: birdies-pars-bogeys-doubles-triples). Even so, Sorg leaves The Players in 4th place overall (396 pts) and with six top-5s on the year—still very much a problem in the postseason.

T-6) Trevor Monk & Shea McGuire (+15 net)

Trevor (89 gross): The moment everyone will remember is the 9 on the par-5 7th. Add 0 birdies, 6 pars, 7 bogeys, and 4 doubles and T-6 was a salvage job. He’s 3rd in points (400) thanks to consistency all year—eight top-5s across the season metrics (8 birdies, 63 pars, 65 bogeys, 19 doubles, 7 triples).
Shea (91 gross): 3 pars, 10 bogeys, 4 doubles, 1 triple—a grind from the first tee. Still, Shea exits the regular season 5th in points (390) with a win on the books.

8) Gianni Young (+16 net, 94 gross)Doubles/triples have been his season-long battle and they popped again (0-3-8-5-2). He sits 8th in points (347)—inside the bubble, but with work to do at Denison.

9) Will Eyman (+18 net, 96 gross)Two pars all day and the big-number bug (0-2-10-2-4) bit him again, yet the larger picture still respects his season: 389 points (6th), four top-5s, and multiple near-misses in majors (including two ties for the top spot). The results say he’s close; Denison is his chance to prove it.

10) Dylan Sharp (+21 net, 105 gross)This one stung—2 pars, 4 bogeys, 6 doubles, 6 triples—but the scoreboard matters more than the scar tissue: Dylan holds 10th in points (310). He controls his fate at Denison.

Regular-Season Ledger: Who They Are on Paper

Jack Spence (1st, 515 pts): 15 birdies, 70 pars, 61 bogeys, 16 doubles, 0 triples. Scoring avg 80.00; wins 3, top-5s 7.
Kyler Messner (2nd, 431): 10, 66, 57, 7, 4; scoring avg 80.38; wins 2, top-5s 5.
Trevor Monk (3rd, 400): 8, 63, 65, 19, 7; scoring avg 84.33; top-5s 4.
Auston Sorg (4th, 396): 8, 55, 61, 34, 4; scoring avg 86.22; top-5s 6.
Shea McGuire (5th, 390): 3, 47, 78, 27, 7; scoring avg 88.11; wins 1, top-5s 4.
Will Eyman (6th, 389): 3, 37, 72, 17, 15; scoring avg 89.88; top-5s 4.
Harry Gilmore (7th, 360): 7, 48, 52, 27, 10; scoring avg 87.38; wins 2, top-5s 3.
Gianni Young (8th, 347): 1, 40, 59, 37, 7; scoring avg 90.75; wins 1.
Mike McGuire (9th, 335): 3, 33, 67, 31, 10; scoring avg 91.88.
Dylan Sharp (10th, 310): 2, 25, 53, 38, 26; scoring avg 97.38.
Seth Paszke (11th, 291): 0, 25, 61, 32, 8; scoring avg 92.71.
Ryan Arter (12th, 149): 3, 22, 30, 13, 5; scoring avg 88.25 (4 rounds).
Jamichael Billups (13th, 35): 7, 13, 16, 0, 0; scoring avg 75.50 (2 rounds).

What It Means for the Postseason

The Denison Cup Playoff is September 13 at Denison Golf Club with inflated points. When the dust settles, only the top 10 in the standings will advance to the DGA Tour Championship on September 27 at Virtues Golf Club.

Inside the cut, but vulnerable: Mike (9th, 335) and Dylan (10th, 310).
Best chances to jump in: Seth (11th, 291) and Ryan (12th, 149)—especially with that points boost.
At the top: Spence owns the driver’s seat, but Kyler (-84), Trevor (-115), and Auston (-119) are one huge Denison day away from flipping the script.

Bottom Line

The Players didn’t crown the hottest scorer; it rewarded the guy who refused to implode. Spence’s lone birdie of the entire tournament and clean sheet against triples were the difference on a day when the field averaged 3.9 doubles and 1.8 triples. Everyone leaves with a bruise, but also with a shot: Denison’s stakes are bigger, the math is louder, and the door to Virtues is still open.

The Players Championship was presented by Raising Cane’s. The DGA Tour season is presented by Haywood Golf.