Rory McIlroy entered the WGC-Cadillac Match Play Championship as the no. 1 seed and the no. 1 player in the world. He solidified both positions by beating his opponent in seven straight matches, including Gary Woodland 4&2 in the finals.
McIlroy also headed into the week with the prospect of sitting ringside at what was being hailed as the fight of the century, the Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao showdown, in Las Vegas. He had paid an exorbitant amount of money for his tickets — which he wouldn’t disclose in his pre-tournament press conference — and planned to make the back-and-forth trip regardless of whether he was still in the golf tournament. His position obviously changed on Saturday evening when his match against Paul Casey went into extra holes and McIlroy likely wouldn’t have made it to MGM Grand for the fight in time even if he’d tried.
