Video: Rory McIlroy plays tennis against Maria Sharapova at MSG

Rory McIlroy didn’t expect to go to work on Monday following his win at the Honda Classic. After holding off a field that included a hard-charging Tiger Woods at PGA National, all he wanted to do was relax and take in an exhibition tennis match between his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova at Madison Square Garden.

But he couldn’t even take 24 hours off without being thrust back into the spotlight. OK, it wasn’t that bad, but the new No. 1 ranked player in golf did have to prove his mettle on the tennis court, when Wozniacki called McIlroy out of the stands to play a point against Sharapova.

Major golf champion versus a Grand Slam tennis champ? This couldn’t end well, right? Actually, McIlroy (who started off by pretending the tennis racket was a golf club), held his own, winning the point with some decent form … for a pro golfer.

Not bad, Mr. McIlroy, but we’d appreciate it if you kept your day job as the top golfer on the planet. Most would agree you have a decent future in the sport.

Devil Ball Golf – Golf – Yahoo! Sports