McIlroy and Woods Clash in Friendly Contest after Match Play elimination
Fitzgerald Cecilio
Palm Beach Garden, FL
After they were eliminated in the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona, No. 1 Rory McIlroy and second-running Tiger Woods decided to have a friendly showdown of their own.
"We thought we would play our own match play final, expect it was over 36 (holes),'' McIlroy said Tuesday at PGA National, where he will defend his title this week at the Honda Classic.
McIlroy said he and Woods hooked up for a friendly round Sunday at the Medalist Golf Club, the latter's home course in Hobe Sound, Florida.
The top-ranked player said they played so quickly that he was back at his Florida home in Jupiter before the Match Play final between Matt Kuchar and Hunter Mahan began.
"It was good,'' McIlroy said. "It was the first time I've actually been up at the Medalist. It's nice. We teed off at about 8 a.m. and I was home by 1:30 p.m. We played quick. Woods putts with the pin in. It was speed golf. It was good. It was really enjoyable.''
McIlroy refused to give additional details but said there were two matches. The No. 1 golfer said Woods prevailed in the first 18 holes but he won the next 18 holes.
The two will face off anew at the Honda Classic, where McIlroy prevailed by two strokes over Woods last year.
McIlroy went to No. 1 in the world for the first time after that victory and added four more worldwide victories, including three on the PGA Tour and his second major title -- the PGA Championship.
Woods won three times last year on the PGA Tour and achieved his 75th PGA Tour title last month at the Farmers Insurance Open, a week after missing the cut in Abu Dhabi.
McIlroy and Woods Clash in Friendly Contest after Match Play elimination
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