Rory McIlroy defeats Max Homa, LPGA stars to win The Match 9

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy won a closest-to-the-pin tiebreaker to win $1.6 million at the end of The Match 9 on Monday night in West Palm Beach, Florida.

The ninth edition of the exhibition golf series featured McIlroy, Max Homa, and LPGA stars Lexi Thompson and Rose Zhang in a 12-hole skins match at The Park golf course.

However, after McIlroy won three skins totaling $800,000 for charity, no player emerged to win any of the final four holes.

At the par-5 12th hole, McIlroy announced that an unidentified friend of his would donate $500,000, bringing the total remaining stakes to $1.6 million.

After McIlroy missed an eagle putt and was awarded a birdie, Homa drained a longer birdie putt to tie him.

So the four players returned to the fairway from about 100 yards away for a tiebreaker. McIlroy went first, hitting his wedge shot to 4 feet, 2 1/2 inches, and none of his competitors came close to matching him.

Thompson was the only other player to win a skin on the second hole, where she sank a long eagle putt worth $200,000. Homa and Zhang did not get on the board.

At No. 4, players had to choose only one club to use for the entire hole. McIlroy used a 5-wood from tee to green, including putts, to finish at par and win his first skin.

It was McIlroy's second appearance in The Match series, and his first victory. He and Tiger Woods lost to Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas in The Match 7.

"I just think (I will remember) how much fun it was, being out here with Max and Rose and Lexi and playing at such a great facility," McIlroy said. "All these people out here, the atmosphere, it was a really cool night."

This was the first edition to include female competitors. Zhang, who is only 20 years old and attends Stanford, won her LPGA debut at the Mizuho Americas Open last June.

SportsLigue