GOLF WGC-ACCENTURE MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP: WITH THE news that a certain T Woods is to break cover tomorrow threatening to overshadow the opening day of the WGC Match Play Championship, the young pretender to the world number one's throne made a few waves of his own in the Arizona desert.
Rory McIlroy’s first round pairing with the unheralded Kevin Na may not have set too many pulses racing initially. But, having trailed by four early in the contest and by two with just four holes to play, the manner of McIlroy’s comeback win sent a timely reminder to the American public that this kid is the real deal.
Back at the same venue where he introduced himself to the American public 12 months ago, a quarter-final defeat to eventual winner Geoff Ogilvy convincing the naysayers he was worth the hype, McIlroy could scarcely have conceived a poorer start. Four down after just six holes, he was facing a humiliating rout.
Having opened with a par, the 20-year-old fourth seed was reduced to a mere spectator at the second as Na fired a stunning approach to within six feet and sank the eagle putt. A wayward tee shot then led to a costly double-bogey and further holes slipped away at the fourth and sixth.
McIlroy got a foothold at the seventh as Na recorded his first bogey of the day. The Holywood star then drained a 29-footer for eagle at the next before back-to-back birdies reduced the deficit to just one.
A McIlroy bogey at the 11th afforded the American some breathing space and as the pair stood on the 15th tee the match was Na’s to lose.
McIlroy, however, is nothing if not a fighter and covered the short par four in just two magical blows for eagle. The 16th soon followed and, buoyed by the sudden turnaround, McIlroy sealed the win with another birdie on the 18th green. “I was pretty fortunate to get through today,” a relieved McIlroy said afterwards.
“I’ll need to play a lot better if I want to progress into the final stages of the tournament.”
He next faces Oliver Wilson and added: “Ollie’s a great competitor, a Ryder Cup player and he’s going to be very tough.”
On hearing that Woods has called a press conference for tomorrow, McIlroy declared himself fed up with the saga. “He’s got to come back at some point,” McIlroy said. “I mean, it just went on for so long I think. I’m sick of hearing about it. I’m just looking forward to when he’s getting back on the golf course.”
That Woods’s would schedule his mea culpa to coincide with an event backed by one of the companies who have axed him was not lost on McIlroy. “I suppose he wanted to get something back at the sponsors,” he added.
Graeme McDowell never led in his contest with England’s Luke Donald. The prospective Ryder Cup team-mates faced each other in one of three all-European clashes, with Donald never relinquishing an early lead and holding on for a 2 and 1 win.
“The last two years I’ve run into a buzz-saw,” McDowell commented after witnessing Donald, armed with a red hot putter, card eight birdies.
“Last year Zach Johnson made eight or nine birdies and Luke just putted the eyes out of it.
“Luke played beautifully today. He just kept making them from outside me. Every time I’d smell a sniff of a chance, he’d just make a great putt. It does not matter how well you play in this. If someone plays better you go home.”
McDowell, two down after seven, birdied the next three holes but did not win any of them. Donald sank putts from 16 feet for halves and then went three ahead when his opponent bogeyed the long 13th.
A putt of over 15 feet kept Donald in the driving seat two holes later and although he lost the short 16th and was in trouble on the next, McDowell bogeyed as well, his missed nine-footer meaning he had to shake hands.
It was a similar story for Pádraig Harrington, who will have been less than enamoured with his exit at the hands of Jeev Milkha Singh. Having made just one birdie all day, it was little surprise the Dubliner found himself on the wrong side of a 3 and 1 scoreline.
Defending champion Ogilvy fired an ominous warning that he, again, will be the man to beat as he augmented an outstanding matchplay record. When the Australian ran up a triple-bogey on the par three sixth to fall back to all square, opponent Alexender Noren might have been forgiven for thinking it could be his day.
Ogilvy’s response? To go and claim the next seven holes en route to a 7 and 5 win.
Ogilvy, who has now won 18 times and lost twice in this event, will meet Camillo Villegas in the second round.
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