Wilson has that little extra on McIlroy

WITH TIGER Woods due to make an appearance at PGA headquarters this afternoon, Rory McIlroy won’t be stuck for something to do but no doubt he’d prefer pitting his wits against Luke Donald in the third round of the WGC Matchplay Championship in Arizona to sitting in front of a television.

Alas, it wasn’t to be for the fourth seed who rode his luck once too often yesterday before eventually being beaten by one over 20 holes by Oliver Wilson.

A birdie at the par-five second won it for the Englishman after McIlroy fought back over the last five holes to try and snatch victory at the death like he did against Kevin Na in the first round.

Unlike his match against the American, in which he was four down early on and two down with four to play, the meeting with Wilson never looked over until it was. This despite the Holywood golfer carding just one birdie in a round that suggested he wasn’t in the form to better his quarter-final exit at the hands of eventual winner Geoff Ogilvy last year.

The 20-year-old lost every par five he played, starting with the second when Wilson chipped to within four feet to birdie.

The Mansfield golfer then bogeyed the sixth and seventh to fall behind and was in danger of losing the long eighth as well until McIlroy went over the green from a greenside bunker and ran up a bogey six to fall back on level terms.

Wilson seemed to have the momentum at that point and went two up with five to play.

He had a chance to move three ahead at the next when McIlroy flew the green and landed among the desert rocks, but while McIlroy bogeyed, the Englishman let him back in when he scuffed his own recovery from the sand and chipped six feet past before missing his putt.

As was the case on Wednesday, McIlroy drove the par-four 15th and levelled the match with his only birdie of the day.

Unlike his first round, however, he could only manage shooting the last three in par and, indeed, needed a gutsy eight-foot putt at the 18th to force extra holes.

The pair then parred the first again before McIlroy bunkered his drive at the second and Wilson took a birdie after seeing an eagle chip lip out. “I’m obviously delighted, but it’s mainly relief. That’s a great scalp for me,” said Wilson.

Donald continued his return to form after a wrist injury with a 6 and 5 drubbing of Australian Robert Allenby. The 32-year-old, runner-up on the US Tour two weeks ago, had opened with an eight-birdie victory over Ireland’s Graeme McDowell and commented: “(It was) another solid day. Five birdies, no bogeys. I picked off the par fives and Robert didn’t quite have his game. He didn’t put too much pressure on me.

“I’m drawing on the confidence of the last few weeks. This is my fourth in a row, so to finish as quickly as possible is good for me.”

Last year’s runner-up Paul Casey, still recovering from the torn rib muscle he suffered last summer, crushed Canadian left-hander Mike Weir 5 and 4.

Casey won the first four holes against Weir, who 24 hours earlier had birdied nine of the first 10 holes against Spaniard Alvaro Quiros. The former Masters champion failed to reproduce that form and won only one hole in the entire match.

“I didn’t see any reason why Mike would struggle, but he did. The start was key – I was very surprised to be four up after four,” said Casey.

“Conserving energy is always a big one. When my legs get tired it affects my swing. Peter Kostis (his American coach) told me to go back to the hotel and relax when I finished yesterday, so I went back and worked out.”

Ian Poulter made it at least four Englishmen through when he saw off Scott 2&1 and Wilson said. 

America's first winners were not two of their bigger names. Brian Gay defeated Zach Johnson on the last and Ben Crane put out US PGA champion YE Yang 3&2.

Bottom seed Ross McGowan - conqueror of top seed Steve Stricker – was one up through nine on Japan's Ryo Ishikawa.

Lee Westwood, the highest surviving seed following Stricker's exit, was one down after eight to American Nick Watney.