ZHENGZHOU, China — Rory McIlroy outdueled Tiger Woods in the first one-on-one exhibition match between golf’s two biggest names.
Woods thinks he’ll have plenty of chances to get revenge.
McIlroy yesterday shot a 5-under 67 to beat Woods by one stroke in an 18-hole match between the two top-ranked golfers at the Jinsha Lake Golf Club in central China.
“This is certainly not like most Mondays. To have this many people come out and watch us play golf in an exhibition was something special. This doesn’t happen,” Woods said. “As far as doing something like this down the road, it would be fun.”
The event, dubbed “Duel at Jinsha Lake,” marked the first time the two golfers had played head-to-head without other competitors. It probably won’t be the last.
Woods said he’d relish the chance to take on McIlroy more often to create a rivalry at the top of the game similar to the one between Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray that has made men’s tennis so exciting in recent years.
“If you look at the history of the game, it’s not like other sports where the guys play against each other all the time. Jack [Nicklaus] and Arnold [Palmer] didn’t go at it that often,” Woods said. “But you know what, if we can do this for the next 10, 15 years, then certainly we can have that type of rivalry. I think having matches like this to promote the game of golf is what it’s all about.’’
“We’re trying to promote the game of golf in this region and it’s come a long way since my first time here 11 years ago.”
McIlroy took an early lead with two birdies on the first three holes and held on to beat Woods, who had two bogeys to go along with his six birdies for the day. The 14-time major winner finished with a 68.
Both players competed elsewhere Sunday and had to make long journeys to Zhengzhou, an industrial city in China’s Henan province. McIlroy finished second to Peter Hanson in the European Tour’s BMW Masters at Shanghai, while Woods tied for fourth in the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic in Malaysia.
The first head-to-head matchup between Woods and McIlroy — at the eight-player World Golf Final in Turkey this month — was far more one-sided. Woods shot a 7-under 64 to defeat the Northern Irishman by six strokes in a group match at the exhibition event.