Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland (R) and Tiger Woods of USA walk together during the Duel of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy at Jinsha Lake Golf Club on October 29, 2012 in Zhengzhou, China. (Photo by Hong Wu/Getty Images)

ZHENGZHOU, CHINA (AP) - Rory McIlroy shot a 5-under 67 to beat Tiger Woods by one stroke in a head-to-head, 18-hole exhibition match between the world’s two top-ranked golfers at the Jinsha Lake Golf Club in central China on Monday.

McIlroy, the World No. 1, took an early lead with two birdies on the first three holes and held on to beat Woods, who had two bogeys to go along with his six birdies for the day. The 14-time major winner finished with a 68.

Both players had to make long journeys to Zhengzhou, an industrial city in China’s Henan province, after competing elsewhere on Sunday. McIlroy finished second to Peter Hanson in the European Tour’s BMW Masters at Shanghai, while Woods tied for fourth in the PGA Tour’s CIMB Classic in Malaysia.

The 18-hole medal-match, dubbed “Duel at Jinsha Lake,” marked the first time the two golfers had played head-to-head without other competitors.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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