Rory McIlroy was on cloud nine after storming to victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, but his Boston Common Golf team were soundly beaten 6-2 by Collin Morikawa’s Los Angeles Golf Club on Tuesday night.
Having fallen to Tiger Woods’ Jupiter Links in week four, week five was a chance for McIlroy and Co. to get their first points on the board but LA hit the ground running and the team of Morikawa, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood won each of the opening three holes and took a 5-0 lead by the completion of the ‘triples’ section after nine holes.
Having halved each of the first two singles holes, US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley got Boston’s first point on the board against Rose on the 12th but Fleetwood restored the five-point advantage with a win over McIlroy on the 13th after the league’s co-founder’s drive found the hazard on the reachable par-4.
With the match over, Bradley got a late consolation point with victory over Rose on the last, but it leaves Boston Common rooted to the bottom of the table with two defeats from two, while Los Angeles, following their 12-1 drubbing of Jupiter Links in the opening match, have stretched their advantage at the top.
“I think I’ve really enjoyed the preparation that’s gone into it with the lads,” said Fleetwood of his first TGL experience.
“Having watched it, I loved getting into the flow of it, getting into that team atmosphere. We got off to a great start. I felt like the crowd, the atmosphere inside the arena was great.”
Morikawa was the star of the show, but Rose’s clutch putting from the 5-12 foot range continually snuffed out hopes of a Boston comeback.
The night began on a sad note with news filtering through that Tiger Woods’ mother Kultida had passed away at the age of 80 and McIlroy paid tribute to her post-match.
“Very sad, sort of surreal,” said McIlroy. “She was here last Monday night.
“It seemed sudden. I got to know [Kultida] a little bit. She was always very warm, very courteous and generous with her time. It was always a delight to see her at tournaments.
“As time went on, you sort of saw her less and less and you’d bump into her in player dining and it was always nice to see her. She always had a big smile. You obviously feel for Tiger and Sam and Charlie [Woods’ children] and wish them all the best. It’s a sad day.”
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