No seat at Vegas fight, but Rory KOs Woodland in match play

RORY MCILROY may have missed out on ringside seats for the big fight in Las Vegas, but the world No 1 made amends by giving himself an early birthday present on Sunday with victory in the WGC-Cadillac Match Play in San Francisco.

McIlroy, pictured right, who turned 26 yesterday, defeated Gary Woodland 4 and 2 in the final at Harding Park, his third win of the day after completing victory over Paul Casey in the quarterfinals and producing a brilliant finish to get the better of Jim Furyk in the last four.

The four-time Major winner made a scrappy start to the final before a hattrick of birdies from the fifth took him four up at the turn and seemingly certain to win his second World Golf Champi- onship title after victory in the Bridgestone Invitational last year.

However, after both players birdied the 10th, McIlroy bogeyed the 11th by failing to get up and down from a greenside bunker and Woodland reduced his deficit further thanks to driving the green on the short parfour 12th and two-putting for birdie.

World No 52 Woodland looked like winning another hole after McIlroy bogeyed the 13th, only to miss from two feet for par after a superb recovery from a greenside bunker.

And that proved to be the pivotal moment in the contest as Woodland then three-putted the 14th and made a mess of the 16th to give McIlroy the title. “I’m really proud of myself with how I showed a lot of character early in the tournament coming back from some deficits,” McIlroy said in an interview broadcast on Sky Sports.

“I played really solid golf. I have got on a nice little run in match play. I got a lot of confidence from the way I played against Rickie (Fowler) in the Ryder Cup last year (winning 5 and 4) and just followed it on through into this. “Obviously I am delighted, a second World Golf Championship and first win in the States this year and so I could not be happier.”