Rory McIlroy Ties Second Behind Jason Day at the Challenge: Japan Skins 2019

Rory McIlroy tied for second behind Jason Day at the MGM Resorts The Challenge: Japan Skins 2019 on Monday. 

The Northern Irishman won four skins and $60,000 to finish level with Tiger Woods and ahead of Hideki Matsuyama, but Day's $210,000 haul meant he was the clear winner at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club:

McIlroy started scrappily in Chiba, Japan, finding the water with his tee shot at the par-three fifth, along with Day and Matsuyama, to allow Tiger to win two skins with a par.

At six, he started to find his touch and carded a birdie, but the skins were pushed as Day halved the hole.

On the seventh hole, rugby legends Mike Tindall, George Gregan, Bryan Habana and Brian O'Driscoll, all in Japan for the ongoing 2019 Rugby World Cup, got involved for a two-man scramble.

And, with a little help from O'Driscoll, McIlroy got another half in birdies:

It meant the eighth was worth $40,000, but it was Woods, not McIlroy, who took advantage to hit the top of the leaderboard.

Another halved hole at the ninth meant McIlroy, along with Matsuyama, reached the turn empty-handed:

The world No. 2 was frustrated again at 10 when his birdie was matched by Matsuyama, and he missed another opportunity to win the hole at 11. 

As ever with skins, though, it is all about timing, and McIlroy finally got on the board in emphatic fashion with an impressive three on the par-four 12th:

At the par-three 13th, after putting his tee shot tight to the pin, McIlroy then lipped out with his birdie putt to gift Matsuyama the first of the $20,000 holes.

At 14, another of the charity challenge holes in the competition, each player had to choose just a single club to play with.

McIlroy was talked out of opting for the five wood on the par five, instead going with a five iron, and he made a tap-in par for another half:

At 17, with $80,000 on the line and the night setting in, McIlroy and Woods opened the door for Day as they went long with their approaches, and McIlroy was unable to prevent the Australian hitting the top of the leaderboard.

With $100,000 available on the last, everyone was still in the game. But a poor drive from McIlroy put him on the back foot. 

He eventually found the fringe of the green with his third, but he needed to hole out to prevent Day from taking victory, and he went just wide to finish tied in second.