Of the four players competing in The Match 9, only Rory McIlroy has previously competed in the exhibition series.
His experience in this tournament was evident, with the four-time major champion looking comfortable against match rookies Max Homa, Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang.
McIlroy dominated the competition and won three skins worth $800,000. He then won his final skin in the Nearest to the Pin contest, earning him an additional $1.1 million for charity.
But before hitting a shot within five feet of the hole to close out the match, McIlroy made a generous announcement on the final hole, the 12th tee. He told the TNT audience that his friends would donate an additional $500,000 to the event. This will ultimately increase McIlroy’s winnings to his $2.4 million, which will be donated to First Tee organizations.
The day started with half of the par 5 first hole. That meant the skin money earned on the opening hole carried over to the driveable par-4 second hole, where fireworks quickly ignited the competition.
Thompson hit his drive just outside the green and hit a 35-foot eagle putt off the fringe. She then holed the hole, winning the hole and her first two skins of the match. That earned her a $200,000 prize, but unfortunately it was her last hole that she, or anyone other than McIlroy, could win.
Two holes later, on the 4th par 4, The Match held a “One Club Challenge”.
Each player had to choose a dedicated club, no player could use the same club, and only that one club could be used during the hole.
McIlroy chose a 5-wood and Homa chose a 7-wood. Thompson opted for a 4-iron, while Chan opted for a 4-hybrid.
Somehow McIlroy regained par while the others looked like double-digit handicappers. The par-3 third hole was halved, giving the Northern Irishman two skins.
On the par-3 fifth, McIlroy hit the shot closest to the pin to win another $100,000, but everyone made par, so the skin carried over to the sixth.
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McIlroy easily won the hole and suddenly had $500,000 in the bank.
After another half on the seventh, McIlroy made a mediocre two-putt par on the eighth.
However, the players around him collapsed on the green, with Homa staggering the most. The former California Golden Bear made three three-putts from 15 feet, including a miss from about 3 feet. McIlroy forced Homa to putt it, and the strategy netted McIlroy two more skins worth $300,000.
By the time the group reached the ninth tee, McIlroy had $800,000 and Thompson had $200,000. Homa and Chan had nothing.
Still, the group squared off through the final three holes. In other words, it all came down to his par-5 12th hole, which could have been anyone’s win.
Just like in the 9th, 10th, and 11th rounds, no one won in the 12th round, resulting in $1.6 million in skins.
The quartet then returned to the 12th fairway and had the closest fight to the pin from 100 yards to go, with McIlroy taking the lead and applying pressure. attach to four legs.
No one came close to it. That means McIlroy won a match for the first time in his career.
He last competed in this exhibition event in December 2022, when he and Tiger Woods lost 3&2 to Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth at Pelican Golf Club.
Yeah, this match was probably the best one yet. It featured extraordinary banter between each player and provided a platform for two of the women’s game’s biggest stars. There is a need for more events in the coming years, and Capital One and Turner Sports, who are working together to produce The Match, recognize this need and hope to offer golf fans more mixed events in the future. I hope you will.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
