Irish pair’s Mission remains possible

WHILE the future of the Mission Hills World Cup was assured behind closed doors, Rory McIlroy continued playing his Pied Piper role as he and Graeme McDowell put Ireland into a share of the lead with two rounds remaining on Hainan Island in China.

The Irish pair recorded a 68 in the fourball format to join Australia on top of the leaderboard on 13-under par with Australian’s Richard Green and Brendan Jones forfeiting a two-stroke lead with bogeys at 16 and 18 on the Blackstone course.

However, contrary to tabloid reports and suggestions on some websites that the World Cup will not be played after this year, Mission Hills owners emphatically declared the competition will continue.