Tee Times Golf – World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational – McIlroy on top of the world
Tee Times Golf – World Golf Championships – Bridgestone Invitational – McIlroy on top of the world after pipping Garcia
McIlroy turned a three shot deficit into a two shot lead within the space of five holes in the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, before Garcia battled back to leave the pair tied heading into the back nine at Firestone Country Club.
Garcia had played the same back nine in just 27 shots in his second round of 61, but it was McIlroy who came out on top two days later in a tense duel, the 25 year old carding a closing 66 to finish 15 under par.
After 16 birdies in the first three rounds Garcia could only manage one in a closing 71 to finish 13 under.
“What I am really proud of this week is following on from The Open with a performance like this,” McIlroy, only the second European winner of the title after Darren Clarke in 2003, said.
“I said straight after I did not want any let down, I wanted to keep going and performing until the end of the season.
“It’s great to come to one of my favourite tournaments of the year and to perform like this I am pretty satisfied.”
McIlroy pulled his opening drive into the rough but had a gap through the trees and hit a superb low pitch to three feet, while Garcia had to settle for a par by two-putting from long range.
Three-time Major winner McIlroy then two-putted from long range on the par five second for another birdie and also birdied the third to take over the lead as Garcia bogeyed, but that did not tell half the story of an amazing hole.
The decisive moment then came on the par three 15th, where Garcia’s tee-shot left of the green left him with a near-impossible pitch over a bunker and led to a bogey four.
That gave McIlroy a two shot lead with three to play and when Garcia failed to convert a birdie chance from ten feet on the 17th his chance had gone.
Source: europeantour.com
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P.S.: Did you know that both McIlroy and Garcia have played on Algarve‘s Oceanico Victoria Golf Course.
