Golf: Rory McIlroy claimed golf's biggest first prize of €1.42 million this morning, but only after losing a three-shot lead for the second event in a row and being forced into a play-off. The 22-year-old, playing his first event since changing management stables, beat American Anthony Kim at the Lake Malaren Shanghai Masters after a final-round shoot-out between the pair.
McIlroy resumed three clear, but had a bogey to Kim's birdie on the first and when he dropped another shot at the 11th trailed by one.
Northern Ireland's US Open champion drew level with a birdie at the long 15th, however, and with pars at the final three holes they tied on the 18-under-par mark of 270, McIlroy going round in a level-par 72 to Kim's 69.
At the first extra hole Kim missed a three-foot putt and McIlroy's two-footer for par gave him the title. It was his fourth victory as a professional and his second of the year following his eight-shot triumph at the US Open in June.
"I'll be the first to say I haven't won enough in my four years as a pro. I should have won a lot more," McIlroy said afterwards. "Today was great for me... under pressure on the back nine. One behind with four to play.
"To win from that position gives me a lot of satisfaction. I don't care how I win as long as my name is on that trophy at the end of the day."
He added: "When I went out today with a three-shot lead, I figured if I could shoot in the 60s it would have been enough but it was tricky out there today. The wind was stronger than it had been in the first three days. Anthony has played great all week and got off to a fast start when I didn't. I had to hang tough on the back nine."
McIlroy said the $2 million first prize was not on his mind when he squandered his first chance of claiming the title.
"All I was thinking the first time was 'I want to hole this putt because I don't want to go into a playoff'," he said. "It really never crossed my mind until that last putt went in. I just wanted another win as I feel I have been close to winning the past few weeks but haven't got it done. To get another win is nice."
McIlroy, currently second on the European Tour money-list, has set his sights on overtaking world number one Englishman Luke Donald to win the order of merit that culminates at the Dubai World Championship in December. McIlroy's win does not improve his world ranking position or boost his Ryder Cup points because the tournament did not have official tour status.
"I want to get closer to Luke (Donald) in the Race to Dubai. I know he's not playing next week (the WGC Champions event in Shanghai) and I feel I am playing well enough to contend there," he said.
"So a big week next week could put me in the frame to win the Race to Dubai."
South Korean Noh Seung-yul and American Hunter Mahan were five strokes back in joint third, England's world number two Lee Westwood missing the chance to join them by bogeying the last two holes after he had holed-in-one at the 12th.
Pádraig Harrington finished 12 shots off the pace after finishing with a 72.
Collated final round scores & totals in the Shanghai Masters, Lake Malaren Golf Club, The Masters Course, Shanghai, China (Par: 72, Irish in bold)
270 Rory McIlroy (NIrl) 64 69 65 72(Won on first hole of a playoff), Anthony Kim (USA) 68 68 65 69
275Noh Seung yul (Kor) 72 63 67 73, Hunter Mahan (USA) 65 72 68 70
276Lee Westwood (Eng) 69 70 70 67
277Ian Poulter (Eng) 67 71 67 72
280Retief Goosen (Rsa) 69 71 72 68, K.J. Choi (Kor) 73 70 70 67
282Y.E. Yang (Kor) 69 73 68 72, Pádraig Harrington (Irl) 67 70 73 72, John Daly (USA) 69 70 72 71
283Geoff Ogilvy (Aus) 73 70 66 74, Keegan Bradley (USA) 72 68 72 71
284Robert Karlsson (Swe) 69 69 72 74, Paul Casey (Eng) 67 73 73 71
287Charl Schwartzel (Rsa) 70 69 73 75, Jim Furyk (USA) 75 71 71 70, Hu Mu (Chn) 70 73 71 73
288Colin Montgomerie (Sco) 70 69 73 76, Louis Oosthuizen (Rsa) 70 66 76 76, Wu A shun (Chn) 73 71 70 74
291Huang Wen yi (Chn) 73 67 76 75
293Tsai Chi Huang (Tai) 74 74 70 75
294Kevin Na (USA) 72 74 71 77
296Zhang Lianwei (Chn) 78 70 73 75
297Li Chao (Chn) 68 74 72 83, Wu Weihuang (Chn) 80 75 69 73
299Zhang Xinjun (Chn) 71 74 74 80, Su Dong (Chn) 79 73 77 70
303Yuan Hao (Chn) 79 78 74 72
