McIlroy Pips Woods to Win The Match at Mission Hills

HAIKOU, Hainan, Oct. 29, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Rory McIlroy shot a six-under-par 67 to beat Tiger Woods by a shot to win The Match at Mission Hills.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131028/CN05319)

McIlroy carded an eagle, seven birdies, one bogey and a double-bogey over the 7,301-yard par-73 Blackstone Course to edge Woods out in front of nearly 20,000 spectators at the Mission Hills Haikou resort.

"The crowds that came out to watch us today were absolutely phenomenal," said McIlroy. "It's great to be back here again at Mission Hills Haikou and play this wonderful golf course. It brings back some great memories from playing at the World Cup a couple of years ago. It was great to come out on top again, but also it's great to bring these sort of events to China and inspire the next generation of Chinese golfers."

"I started off well, birdied the first two, and then had a little bit of a dodgy spell in the middle, then played nicely on the back nine and hit some really good shots," said McIlroy.

McIlroy was impressed with Woods, who played the Blackstone Course for the first time. "Any golf course he goes to, you give him a target to hit at, he usually hits it. As long as his caddie knew to point him in the right direction, he was going to do the rest," McIlroy said.

Speaking to Woods, Dr. Ken Chu, Chairman and CEO of Mission Hills Group, said, "We are very proud, very honored to play host to your very first visit to China, and 12 years later, to play host to your first visit to Hainan Island as well. So it's a wonderful relationship that we have created and thank you for all your support to the development of golf in China."

The Blackstone Course also hosted the Mission Hills World Celebrity Pro-Am in 2010 and 2012. The Match at Mission Hills is the latest event to be hosted by the Mission Hills Group, which has staged over 100 international tournaments and been at the forefront of developing golf in China since staging the World Cup of Golf in 1995.

FTP for images and VNR:
ftp://ftp.missionhillsthematch.com  
Username: match_guest
Password: match

For information or photos, contact:
Mona Li, Director of Brand Development, Mission Hills China
+86-755-2802 0888 Ext. 38890, monali@missionhillschina.com