Rory seals charity win
RORY McIlroy has delivered the money shot as live golf returned to television in the US for a Skins game that raised more than $US5 million ($A7.8m) for coronavirus relief funds.
McIlroy and his partner Dustin Johnson had a chance to win six skins worth $US1.1m on the final hole at Seminole Golf Club in the TaylorMade Driving Relief exhibition.
Both missed and they returned to the par-3 17th for a closest-to-the-pin contest against Rickie Fowler and his fellow American Matthew Wolff. Down to the last shot, McIlroy’s effort measured at 13 feet to secure the spoils.
“Air five,” the world No.1 said to Johnson, alluding to the social distancing in place at Juno Beach, Florida, at an event with no fans.
The final carryover gave McIlroy and Johnson $US1.85m for the American Nurses Foundation. Fowler, who made seven birdies, and Wolff made $US1.15m ($A1.8m) for the CDC Foundation.
When the exhibition ended, more than $5.5m had been pledged. Players carried their own bags, wore microphones and shorts with a skeleton crew, of just six cameras, on hand to broadcast the event.
Most of the banter came from McIlroy, who made a short putt on the second hole to match Wolff’s birdie and told the American: “I think you forget I’ve won two FedEx Cups that total $25 million. That doesn’t faze me, youngster.”
Next event is A Champions for Charity exhibition on May 24 at Medalist, where Tiger Woods will team up with NFL great Peyton Manning to face Phil Mickelson and six-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.