Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy will once again face off in an exhibition match in China.
Woods and McIlroy will meet in an Oct. 28 match dubbed "The Match at Mission Hills." The Haikou resort will welcome the two Nike stablemates for an 18-hole, medal-play match at the resort's Blackstone Course.
A year ago, Woods and McIlroy met in the "Duel at Jinsha Lake," with then-world No. 1 Rory McIlroy winning by a shot over Woods with a 67.
The event will again be a lucrative one for both players. Last year, Woods reportedly received a $2 million appearance fee, while McIlroy pulled in $1 million. Though the appearance fees for this year's match have not been released, similar figures are rumored again for "The Match at Mission Hills."
At Jinsha Lake, fans stole range balls and had to be tackled for getting too close to the players. Among other odd sites: models on the tee boxes and a fireworks display.
“Rory and I have played against and with each other a lot over the past few years, and he beat me in China last time so I’m looking forward to playing again,” Woods said in a July press release announcing the second match. “We’re good friends, but both of us love to win, so I’m expecting more great golf.”
“It’s exciting to play against Tiger in this format,” said McIlroy, who hinted at this match ahead of the 2013 U.S. Open. “We’ve played together many times in regular four-day Tour events, but it’s different when it’s just the two of us in an 18-hole battle.”
Woods and McIlroy are playing this week outside of Chicago in the BMW Championship, the third of four legs in the FedEx Cup playoffs. Woods is a lock to make the Tour Championship, the final leg, next week in Atlanta. McIlroy has work to do this week at Conway Farms to make the East Lake field.
Woods' schedule is pretty clear in October, following the Presidents Cup at Muirfield Village G.C. in Dublin, Ohio, from Oct. 3-6. McIlroy cannot compete in the team-based event as he can only qualify for the European Ryder Cup team.
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