McIlroy in contention for place at US Masters

Rory McIlroy is in contention for a place at the US Masters in April after narrowly missing out on victory at the Hong Kong Open yesterday.

The 19-year-old Co Down golfer lost out to Lin Wen-tang in a sudden-death play-off after finishing tied for the lead following a closing-round 65.

The result means he has broken into the top 50 in the rankings and will earn himself a debut at Augusta next year if he remains in that position at the end of next month.