Rory McIlroy kept his word and helped make the British Masters one of the strongest regular-season fields of the year on the European Tour.
Tournament host Lee Westwood said he approached McIlroy earlier this year about playing this week at Close House.
“I asked Rory at Sergio (Garcia)’s wedding, when we’d had a couple glasses of wine, and he said if he didn’t get to the Tour Championship he would think seriously about playing here and it’s great he’s turning out,” Westwood told reporters. “He’s one of the few players in the world that I would turn out at a golf tournament to watch.