The Loop

How the Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight could affect Rory McIlroy's chances of winning the Match Play

April 27, 2015

Rory McIlroy is the Las Vegas favorite (9/1) to win this week's WGC-Cadillac Match Play. But is Vegas factoring in McIlroy's expected Vegas trip while the tournament is going on?

According to the Daily Mail, McIlroy plans to be ringside for Saturday night's much-anticipated fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand. McIlroy says he'll fly a private jet after play ends Saturday in San Francisco, watch the fight and fly right back (1,140 miles round trip).

Even factoring in McIlroy's youth, fitness and private jet, doing all that and playing 36 holes of match play on Saturday and Sunday would be quite a feat. Of course, it may not even matter. On Monday, McIlroy found out he will be playing in the toughest group -- at least, according to cumulative Official World Golf Ranking -- Wednesday through Friday at TPC Harding Park. McIlroy will have to win his four-player group that includes Billy Horschel, Brandt Snedeker and Jason Dufner just to advance to Saturday's Round of 16.

If McIlroy were to make it to Saturday morning and win, he'd play a quarterfinal match that afternoon. The semifinals and final are scheduled for Sunday.

What if Saturday's afternoon match goes extra holes, though? Again, private jet. Oh, and those big boxing matches start pretty late. Making the fight shouldn't be a problem. But waking up for his own big match the next day might.