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 $US1.1m ($A1.7m) 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 $US1.85m ($A2.9m) for the American Nurses Foundation. Fowler, who made seven birdies, and Wolff made $US1.15m ($A1.8m) for the CDC Foundation. "I'm proud to be part of an event to entertain people at home on a Sunday afternoon and to raise money for people who need it," McIlroy said as he played the 18th hole. When the exhibition ended, more than $5.5m ($A8.6m) 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. "It was an awesome day," McIlroy said. "It was nice to get back on the golf course and get back to some sort of normalcy." 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." The PGA Tour has been suspended since the first round of The Players Championship on March 12. Next is an exhibition match 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 in Champions for Charity - which will raise $10 ($A15.6m) for COVID-19 relief efforts. The PGA Tour will return, with no fans, on June 11 with the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial in Texas. |
There were no fans cheering but top-ranked golfer Rory McIlroy pulled out a shot worth more than $1 million to win bragging rights at a televised Skins game.
