SAN FRANCISCO — Rory McIlroy won a tournament as the No. 1 player in the world.
Only at the Match Play Championship does this pass as newsworthy.
In the 17-year history of golf's most unpredictable tournament, only one other player has gone undefeated over five days as the No. 1 seed. That was Tiger Woods, who did it three times, the last occasion seven years ago in the Arizona desert.
Woods needed as much good fortune as McIlroy, who somehow outlasted seven opponents — including three in one day — to capture his second World Golf Championship title on Sunday at TPC Harding Park.