Rory McIlroy wins $1.6million prize money for charity after victory at The Match 9
Rory McIlroy wins $1.6million prize money for charity after victory at The Match 9
Rory McIlroy earned $1.6m for charity on Monday night at The Park in West Palm Beach, Florida.
The golf star came out on top against Max Homa and LPGA stars Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang in The Match 9.
The 34-year-old was competing in the ninth series of the competition for just the second time following defeat back in The Match 7 alongside Tiger Woods to Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
I just think [I will remember’] how much fun it was, being out here with Max and Rose and Lexi and playing at such a great facility,” McIlroy said.
Thompson and Zhang became the first female competitors in the tournament’s history, with the latter continuing to impress after her LPGA debut won the Mizuho Americas Open last June.
“Just from being in this kind of environment, it’s kind of my first time and definitely outside of my comfort zone,” Zhang said.
“It just makes me so excited to see what’s to come.”
At the 12-hole skins match, McIlroy conquered three skins to pocket $800,000 for charity, with no player winning any of the final four holes.
At the par-five 12th hole, McIlroy announced that a friend of his was donating $500,000 to raise the stakes past the $1.1m mark. He went on to secure $1.6m after winning a closest-to-the-pin tiebreaker.
He placed his wedge shot to just over four feet, a distance that none of his opponents could match.
After sinking a shot on the second hole, Thompson became the only other golfer to make money. She was paid $200,000 for her efforts.
