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Rory McIlroy wins Match Play Championship for 10th PGA title

 
Published May 4, 2015

SAN FRANCISCO — Rory McIlroy had to work harder than ever to win the Match Play Championship.

No one had had to play seven matches in five days until McIlroy this year, and he won them all in the tournament's new round-robin format. He had to beat three players on the same day, a first in the 17 years of the tournament. Three times he stood on the 17th tee trailing.

McIlroy didn't need a comeback in the final Sunday. He won four straight holes on the front nine against an errant Gary Woodland, survived a brief scare and wound up with a 4-and-2 victory for his second World Golf Championship title.

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy," McIlroy said.

Three weeks after Jordan Spieth won the Masters and emerged as his most likely rival, McIlroy reminded the world of his No. 1 ranking.

He became the first No. 1 seed since Tiger Woods in 2008 to win the most unpredictable event in golf and collected his 10th PGA Tour title. He joined Woods (29) and Jack Nicklaus (17) as the only players with at least 10 PGA victories at age 25 or younger. McIlroy turns 26 today.

"Every time I have a win, I keep hearing those guys' names come up," McIlroy said. "It's great to be mentioned with the likes of Tiger and Jack, the two greatest players that I think have ever played this game. I'm on my journey. I'll see where I get to."

McIlroy had to start at 6:45 a.m. local time to complete his quarterfinal match against Paul Casey. Without hitting a putt on the practice green (only on the chipping green, which didn't have the same speed), he put perfect pace on a 60-foot eagle putt from the fringe for a short birdie that Casey couldn't match in losing in 22 holes. The match had been suspended because of darkness Saturday.

In the semifinals against hard-nosed Jim Furyk, McIlroy was 1 down when he closed birdie-birdie-eagle for a 1-up victory. He squared the match with a 7-iron to 4 feet and closed out Furyk with a 45-foot eagle putt across the 18th green.

CHAMPIONS: Ian Woosnam made a 30-foot birdie putt in a playoff to win the Insperity Invitational at the Woodlands, Texas, for his first tour title. Woosnam, playing on a sponsor exemption, beat Kenny Perry and Tom Lehman on the first extra hole. He closed with 4-under 68 to match Perry (66) and Lehman (69) at 11-under 205. Third-round leader Michael Allen (72) was 10 under.

LPGA: Two years after winning the inaugural North Texas Shootout, Inbee Park closed with a bogey-free 6-under 65 in Irving to win it again, this time by three strokes over Cristie Kerr and Hee Young Park at 15-under 269. Lexi Thompson, who shared the third-round lead with Park, closed with 69 to finish 11 under.