Round 1: World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play

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No. 1 overall Luke Donald was upset in Wednesday’s first round by Ernie Els.

MARANA, Ariz. — The biggest shock of Wednesday’s first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship was the loss by defending champ and world No. 1 Luke Donald, who was beaten 5 and 4 by 64th seed Ernie Els.

But that certainly wasn’t the only upset — if there truly are any "upsets" in this event — at Dove Mountain.

Almost half of Wednesday’s 32 matches (15 to be exact) were won by the lower seed. Els was the only 16th seed to win, but two 15th seeds — Matteo Manassero and Robert Rock — also advanced.

Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Tiger Woods managed to avoid the upset … barely. He scraped by against Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 1 and later said, "I’m very fortunate to move on."

The key is that he is moving on, unlike Donald. In winning last year, Donald never trailed after any hole, but with Wednesday’s match all square after seven, he lost four of the next five holes to Els.

It’s only the third time in Accenture Match Play history that the No. 1 overall seed has lost to No. 64. Steve Stricker lost to Ross McGowan in 2010, and Woods lost to Peter O’Malley in 2002.

"I just didn’t play very well," Donald said. "I struggled. I gave away too many holes and made too many mistakes. You can’t do that in match play against anyone, let alone Ernie."

Said Els: “There’s always hype when the No. 1 player is playing with the No. 64 seed. But I think Luke and I took it for what it was, you know. And I think he didn’t want to play me and I sure as hell didn’t want to play him the first round.

“But that’s the way it worked out. But I played well. I thought I hit the ball well and eventually made the odd putt. Luke had a bit of an off day. I’m obviously very pleased to go through. “

The other No. 1 seeds — Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy — all advanced. But No. 2 seeds Webb Simpson and Adam Scott were knocked out.

Kyle Stanley and Brandt Snedeker each won their matches and will be face each other in Thursday’s second round. The last time they were together, Snedeker won a playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open after Stanley had blown a three-shot lead on the 72nd hole.

Bubba Watson and Ben Crane played a bogey-free match, with Watson beating his good friend and fellow "Golf Boy" 3 up. David Toms had eight birdies in knocking off Rickie Fowler 1 up. Robert Karlsson had six birdies in beating fellow Swede Fredrik Jacobson 6 and 5. Lee Westwood had six birdies in a bogey-free 17 holes to beat Nicolas Colsaerts.

But the most impressive round was turned in by Keegan Bradley, who had six birdies and one eagle in a bogey-free 15 holes to beat Geoff Ogilvy 4 up. Ogilvy is a two-time Match Play winner and suffered just his second first-round loss in seven starts.

"I played about as good as I could play," Bradley said. "I didn’t miss a fairway or a green. I saw a lot of birdies and that’s always tough to beat."

THURSDAY’S SECOND-ROUND MATCHES

MARANA, Ariz. – Wednesday’s first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship has started. A total of 32 matches are scheduled for the Ritz-Carlton course at Dove Mountain. We’ll have updates all day on PGATOUR.COM and we encourage your comments throughout the day. Also check out PGATOUR.COM’s LIVE@ coverage on now.

Click here for match recaps. | Click here to read about Tiger’s win.

FIRST-ROUND UPDATES (all times ET)

7:25 p.m. – And we’re done. George Coetzee’s last gasp of upsetting Rory McIlroy ended when he missed a 5-footer for par on the 18th hole. So the Northern Irishman, who had a 4-footer of his own, ended up winning 2 up.

7:10  p.m. – Rory McIlroy can’t seem to stand prosperity. He’s just made consecutive bogeys at Nos. 16 and 17, lipping out a 4-footer at the latter, and a lead that was once 3 up with three to play is now just 1 up as he  and George Coetzee step to the 18th tee. 

7:01 p.m. – Peter Hanson gets to play the World Golf Hall of Fame giant-killer on Thursday. Thanks to his 5 and 4 win over Jason Dufner, the Swede faces Ernie Els, who knocked off world No. 1 Luke Donald about an hour earlier.

6:56 p.m. – George Coetzee won the 16th hole with a par when Rory McIlroy hit his tee shot well right and short of the green on the par 3. He now trails 2 down with two holes remaining.

6:53 p.m. – Anders Hansen staked his approach at the 15th hole to 6 feet for what turned out to be a concession and the win after K.T. Kim couldn’t hole a 29-footer for birdie. The Dane won 5 and 4.

6:45 p.m. – Only three first-round matches remain on the course.  Two are dormie – Rory McIlroy leads George Coetzee 3 up with three to play while Anders Hansen is 4 up on K.T. Kim with four remaining. In the other, Peter Hanson owns a 2-up lead on Jason Dufner.

6:33 p.m.  – World No. 1 Luke Donald only hit 6 of 11 fairways and 7 of 14 greens in regulation in his loss to Ernie Els. “I’m not sure where to start,” he said. “I just didn’t play very well. It’s disappointing. I’ve been working really hard. To lose control of the golf ball like I did today is really frustrating, but I believe the hard work will start paying off soon.”

6:26 p.m. – Keegan Bradley, who lost in a playoff Sunday at the Northern Trust Open, took some heat for spitting during that final round. So how did it go in his 4-and-3 win over Geoff Ogilvy? Much better. "I got some advice from some people close to me, and I’m happy to report I didn’t spit one time today,’ Bradley said. "And my pre-shot routine was really good. I think that’s one of the reasons why I played well. I’m really proud of the no spitting, and I’m going to keep trying not to.”

6:22 p.m. – After his dominating win over world No. 1 Luke Donald, Ernie Els told PGA TOUR Radio "I put pressure on him on the long holes and it worked out." A look at the par-5s lends credence to the South African’s words. Els birdied the eighth to take a 1-up lead, parred the 11th to go 3 up and drained a 21-footer for birdie with Donald looking at a 12-footer at the 13th hole to maintain a 4-up lead.

6:15 p.m.  – With Luke Donald’s first-round loss to Ernie Els, the No. 1 spot in the world is officially up for grabs. Rory McIlroy, who ranks second, and No. 3 Lee Westwood each could potentially claim the spot with a victory – depending, of course, on how the other does.

6:12 p.m. — In the longest match of the day, Brandt Snedeker two-putted for par from 35 feet to beat Retief Goosen in 21 holes after the South African missed the green and a 12-footer to save at the par 3.

6:09 p.m. – Lee Westwood made six birdies and no bogeys as he beat Nicolas Colsaerts 3 and 1. Westwood, who is ranked No. 3 in the world, now plays Robert Karlsson with a chance to advance past the second round for the first time in 12 starts at the Accenture Match Play Championship.

6:02 p.m. – David Toms halved the 18th hole with a 12-foot birdie putt to seal his 1-up victory over Rickie Fowler.

6:01 p.m. – Ernie Els just upset defending champion Luke Donald in a 5-and-4 decision – marking only the third time in the 12-year history of the tournament the 64th seed has won. Els made a 10-footer for birdie on the 14th hole to close out the match.

5:55 p.m. – Brandt Snedeker rolled in an 8-footer for birdie at the 18th hole to extend his match with two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen. The two matched pars on the first extra hole.

5:50 p.m. – Ernie Els continues to roll in his match with the world No. 1. Consecutive bogeys by Luke Donald gave Els a 4-up lead through 12 holes and the South African preserved that advantage with a 21-foot birdie to the Englishman’s 12-footer at the 13th.

5:43 p.m. – Miguel Angel Jimenez, who has twice made the quarterfinals of the Accenture Match Play Championship, hung tough against his fellow Spaniard, Sergio Garcia, for a 2-and-1 win. Jimenez, who led the previous six holes 1 up, won the 17th with a par when Garcia couldn’t get up-and-down from the waste area.

5:41 p.m. – Robert Karlsson made a 7-footer for birdie on the par-5 15th to beat Fredrik Jacobson 6 and 5, which is the widest margin of the day.

5:40 p.m. – Graeme McDowell, who was the first person eliminated on Wednesday as he lost 2 and 1 to Y.E. Yang in the opener, probably spoke for 31 others when he tweeted: “Strange feeling packing your clubs at 1105am on a Wednesday morning having made 6 birdies, headed home and some guys haven’t hit a shot yet!”

5:37 p.m. – Rickie Fowler is staging quite a comeback against David Toms. The 23-year-old has just reeled off three straight birdies – on putts of 10, 7 and 4 feet – to move from 4 down to just 1.

5:33 p.m. – Martin Kaymer made a 6-footer for birdie at the 15th hole and was conceded the 16th to close out his match with Greg Chalmers. Kaymer, who ranks No. 4 in the world, was the runner-up a year ago.

5:29 p.m.  — Robert Karlsson drained a 31-footer for birdie at the par-3 12th to take a commanding 5-up advantage over his fellow Swede, Fredrik Jacobson.

5:20 p.m. – Defending champion Luke Donald just three-putted the par-5 11th hole to find himself 3 down to Ernie Els. 

5:16 p.m. – Jason Day said he felt like he won the tournament after winning the last four holes against Rafael Cabrera-Bello to advance. “Man, it was just so up and down. …  I did kind of scrape through, but I’m glad I stuck in there and didn’t give up.”

5:13 p.m. – Tiger Woods got up and down from the greenside bunker, holing a 9-footer for par, to beat Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 1 up. The Spaniard missed a 10-footer for birdie that would have extended the match.

5:12 p.m. – Keegan Bradley made a 3-footer for birdie at the 15th hole to dispose of two-time Accenture Math Play Championship winner Geoff Ogilvy 4 and 3. How well did Bradley play? He was 8 under through 15 holes with six birdies and an eagle.

5:10 p.m. – Kyle Stanley saved par from the greenside bunker at the 17th hole to beat K.J. Choi, the reigning PLAYERS champion, 2 and 1.

5:07 p.m. – David Toms has made six birdies in his first 13 holes – five of them for wins – to take a 3-up advantage over Rickie Fowler.

5:05 p.m. – Bubba Watson said he and Ben Crane attended Bible study on Tuesday night and joked about playing each other in the first round. “Neither one of us want to lose, obviously. You are here to win. Even it’s your buddy or what, you still want to win. It’s hard playing with your buddy like that sometimes.” 

5:02 p.m. – Martin Kaymer, top-seeded in the Ben Hogan bracket, has just made a 4-footer for birdie at the 13th hole to take a 3-up lead on Greg Chalmers.

4:56 p.m. – Luke Donald, who never trailed and never played the 18th hole in winning the Accenture Match Play Championship a year ago, is 2 down to Ernie Els at the turn. Els got up-and-down from the greenside bunker for birdie at the par-5 eighth to go 1-up and won the ninth when Donald made bogey from the desert.

4:50 p.m. – Kyle Stanley, who is playing in his first World Golf Championships, is hanging tough against the veteran K.J. Choi. Stanley, who won the Waste Management Phoenix Open earlier this month, squared his match with a 3-footer for birdie at the 15th hole and then went 1 up when Choi couldn’t save par at No. 16.

4:45 p.m. – Jason Day staged a furious rally, winning his last four holes to beat Rafael Cabrera-Bello on the 19th hole. The Aussie was 3 down through 15 but won Nos. 16 and 17 with pars, then made a 13-footer for birdie at the 18th hole to send the match into sudden death. He then sealed the win with a 4-footer for birdie.

4:40 p.m. – Tiger Woods won the 16th hole when Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano missed the green at the par to the left and couldn’t get a 6-footer for par to drop. He’s now 1 up with two par 4s remaining.

4:37 p.m. – Matt Kuchar squandered a 3-up advantage through 11 holes but came up clutch when he needed it – making a 14-footer for birdie at No. 18 to beat Jonathan Byrd 1 up.

4:34 p.m. –Tiger Woods rolled in a 20-footer for birdie at the 15th hole to square his match with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

4:30 p.m. – South Africa’s George Coetzee has only made one par in his first six holes but he leads Rory McIlroy 1 up. He lost the first hole with a bogey, won the second with a birdie, doubled No. 3 when he hit his tee shot in the water and squared the match again with a birdie at No. 4. A 20-footer at No. 6 for his third birdie of the day has give Coetzee his first lead.

4:27 p.m. – Keegan Bradley has just gone birdie-eagle-birdie to take a 5-up advantage over Geoff Ogilvy through 12 holes.

4:20 p.m. – Bubba Watson never trailed in beating his good buddy, Ben Crane, 3 and 2. Crane won the 16th hole with a 6-footer to narrow the gap to 2 down but Watson answered with an 11-footer for the winning birdie on the next. Watson was 5 under through 16 holes.

4:11 p.m. – Shortly after he beat Jim Furyk on the 20th hole, Dustin Johnson was tweeting away. “I can’t even feel my toes right now I’m so #jacked!!!! Jimmy played great out there and is such a competitor! #respect @WGC_Accenture”

4:05 p.m. – Martin Laird rolled in a 3-footer at the 18th hole for the hard-fought 1-up victory over Alvaro Quiros. Neither player led more than 1 up during the match. The Spaniard has now bowed out in the first round the past four years.

4:02 p.m. – Robert Rock, who won in Abu Dhabi earlier this year, disposed of a formidable foe in Adam Scott, who brought a 14-10 record into their match. Rock, who is playing in his first Accenture Match Play Championship, beat Scott 1 up. 

4 p.m. – Mark Wilson, who won the Humana Challenge earlier this year, has closed out Bo Van Pelt 3 and 2. Wilson was  6 under through 16 holes and did not make a bogey

3:54 p.m. – Nick Watney, who has reached the third round each of the last two years, made short work of Darren Clarke, closing out the 5-and-4 decision with a 5-footer for birdie on the 14th hole. Clarke, who beat Tiger Woods to win the Accenture Match Play Championship in 2000, was playing in the event for the first time since 2007.

3:50 p.m. – John Senden won his first match in two appearances, five years apart, when he beat Simon Dyson 4 and 3. The Aussie won the first two holes and never looked back, sending Simon Dyson packing in the first round for the second time in as many Accenture appearances

3:40 p.m. – Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is now 1 up on Tiger Woods, who suffered his third straight bogey-or-worse hole at the par-5 11th. Woods found the native area behind the green with his second shot, his ball landing behind a shrub.

3:15 p.m. – Tiger Woods’s wayward drive at the 10th hole – he found the native area and had trouble getting out — has led to a double bogey. His match against Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is all square.

3:14 p.m. – Nick Watney has jumped all over British Open champ Darren Clarke. Watney eagled the par-5 11th when his second shot landed inside 3 feet. He’s now 4 up.

3:05 p.m. – Italian teen Matteo Manassero continues to make an impact in this event, beating Webb Simpson 3 and 2. Last year, Manassero beat Steve Stricker and Charl Schwartzel.

3:04 p.m. – Louis Oosthuizen has beaten Aaron Baddeley 2 and 1. It’s Oosthuizen’s first win in three Match Play starts.

2:56 p.m. – Steve Stricker extended his Accenture Match Play Championship record to 11-8 when he beat Kevin Na 2 and 1. Stricker, the 2001 champion, nearly holed his second shot at the 323-yard 15th hole, tapping in from 3 inches for the birdie that put him 2 up.

2:54 p.m. – Francesco Molinari holed a chip from 79 feet for eagle at the par-5 second hole to beat Thomas Bjorn in 20 holes.

2:48 p.m. – Keegan Bradley is 2 up in his match with Geoff Ogilvy, a two-time winner of the Accenture Match Play Championship, after a birdie at the par-5 second and winning with a par at No. 4.

2:45 p.m. – Dustin Johnson has survived an adventure in the waste area at No. 2 to win his match with Jim Furyk on the 20th hole. Johnson had to take a drop in the desert and then hit his third short short of the green, chipping to 3 feet with his fourth. Furyk, meanwhile, was beside the green in two but chipped 39 feet past the pin. Furyk then putted 7 feet by and missed his bogey putt after Johnson had made his.

2:28 p.m. – Tiger Woods has birdied the seventh and eighth holes to go 1 up in his match with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. Woods trailed 2 down after two holes.

2:21 p.m. – Sang-moon Bae, who is playing in his first World Golf Championships event, has upset Ian Poulter, the winner of the 2010 Accenture Match Play Championship 4 and 3. Bae, who is a PGA TOUR rookie, made a 7-footer for birdie on the 15th hole to seal the victory. He never trailed in the match.

2:19 p.m. – Thomas Bjorn three-putted the 18th hole for bogey so his match with Francesco Molinari has gone to sudden death.

2:18 p.m. – Jim Furyk made a 3-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to square his match with Dustin Johnson and send it to extra holes.

2:14 p.m. – Paul Lawrie, making his first appearance at the Accenture Match Play Championship since 2003, has beaten Justin Rose 1 up. The former British Open champ only trailed one hole during his match.

2:11 p.m. — Charl Schwartzel made a 4-footer for birdie at the 16th hole to close out his match with Gary Woodland 4 and 2.

2:09 p.m. — Hunter Mahan has knocked off Zach Johnson in 19 holes. Johnson’s drive strayed right into the native area at the first hole and he was unable to get out. He hit his third to the edge of the fairway, his fourth to the left of the green and his fifth to 33 feet. Mahan, meanwhile, was on the green in two with a 53-foot birdie putt that Johnson conceded for the win.  “In the end, it came down to one missed shot for Zach,” Mahan said. “Just the wrong place, really.”

2:02 p.m. –Graeme McDowell’s loss to Y.E. Yang was his second to the former PGA champion in as many years.  "I ran into a man that played extremely well. I felt like I had to follow him all day long, and I did most of the day, but he didn’t put a foot wrong. That’s the beauty of this tournament. It’s not the beauty. It could be the beast of this tournament, as well. You just run into the wrong guy on the wrong day, and you have got your work cut out.”

1:55 p.m. – Dustin Johnson has gained the upper hand on Jim Furyk with consecutive birdies at the 15th and 16th holes. He parred No. 17 and heads to the 18th with a 1-up lead.

1:51 p.m. — Ryo Ishikawa has just beaten Bill Haas, who won the Northern Trust Open last week, 1 up. Haas missed the green on the 18th hole and couldn’t convert his 24-footer to save par. Ishikawa, meanwhile, had a 14-footer for birdie that he left inches shy for the winning par.

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Ryo Ishikawa beat Bill Haas 1 up on Wednesday.

1:42 p.m. — We now have the first match to go extra holes. Hunter Mahan and Zach Johnson halved the 18th hole with par saves of 6 and 4 feet, respectively.

1:37 p.m. — Ryo Ishikawa has birdied three of his last four holes to rally from 3 down and even his match with Bill Haas. The 20-year-old from Japan made an 18-footer at the 17th hole and squared tthings after Haas was unable to convert from 5 feet.

1:30 p.m. — Zach Johnson and Hunter Mahan are headed to the 18th hole with their match all square. Johnson just won the 17th hole when Mahan missed the green and made bogey.

1:19 p.m. – Rafael Cabrera-Bello, who is making his Accenture Match Play Championship debut, won three of his first five holes with a bogey, birdie and a par to take a 3-up lead over Jason Day.

1:13 p.m. — Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano is now 2 up on Tiger Woods, thanks to a 22-foot birdie putt at the par-5 second. Both players hit wayward drives, but Woods had to turn over a club and chip out left-handed for his second shot.

1:08 p.m. – In the anything-you-can-do-I-can-do-better category, Jim Furyk holed a chip from 54 yards for birdie at the 13th hole and Dustin Johnson followed by making his from 78 feet for eagle to win the hole. Furyk’s lead is now 1 up.

1:06 p.m. – Shortly before he teed off in his match with Sang-moon Bae, Ian Poulter tweeted: "It’s Matchplay time folks love the feeling you get in Matchplay when can look ur opponent straight in the white of his eyes & get that buzz." The former champ is likely feeling better after squaring the match with a 6-foot birdie at the ninth hole.

1:02 p.m. – Y.E. Yang has closed out Graeme McDowell 2 and 1 in the opening match of the tournament. Yang will play the winner of the Hunter Mahan-Zach Johnson match.

12:51 p.m. – Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano gets the quick lead on Tiger Woods, winning the first hole with a 13-foot birdie putt. Tiger missed his birdie putt from 8-1/1 feet.

12:50 p.m. – Webb Simpson has hit just two of his first seven fairways. Might be one reason why he’s 3-down to Matteo Manassero.

12:45 pm. – Charl Schwartzel has a commanding 4 up lead through 10 holes in his match against Gary Woodland. Woodland has four bogeys on his card and also conceded another hole.

12:35 p.m. – Tiger Woods certainly had his game face on as he approached the first tee for his match against Spain’s Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano, who on Monday said that Woods was “beatable.” A quick shake of the hands, and then Tiger, wearing a green shirt and cream-colored pants, teed off.  His drive found the fairway, as did that of Fernandez-Castano. (more updates below photo)

12:29 p.m. – In the “Golf Boys” duel, Bubba Watson has drawn first blood with a 12-footer for birdie on the first hole. Ben Crane, sans wet suit and helmet, hit his second over the green but made par.

12:24 p.m. – Paul Lawrie, who made double bogey at the 10th hole, regained a 2-up advantage over Paul Lawrie with a 4-foot birdie putt on the 11th.

12:17 p.m. – Hunter Mahan now leads his match with Zach Johnson for the first time. Johnson found the bunker at the 12th hole and was unable to save par so Mahan is 1 up.

12:14 p.m. – Graeme McDowell got one hole back when he made a 6-footer for birdie at the 12th hole. He needed another at the 13th – two-putting from 40-feet on the par 5 – to remain just 1 down.

NOON — Only one of the first nine matches, all of which have gone at least six holes, is all square. That’s Match 2 between Hunter Mahan and Zach Johnson. Johnson held an early 2-up advantage after three, but consecutive Johnson bogeys at the sixth and seventh evened the match and it remains that way as the two play No. 12.

11:50 a.m. – Matteo Manassero, the 18-year-old from Italy, has gotten off to a quick start in his match with Webb Simpson. He drained a 52-footer for birdie at the first hole and won the second, as well, when Simpson three-putted from 11 feet.

11:46 a.m. – Thomas Bjorn, who has battled a bad back this week, has just gone 2 up on Francesco Molinari when the Italian missed an 8-footer to save par at the seventh hole.

11:37 a.m. – Y.E. Yang and Graeme McDowell are putting on quite a show. Yang, who is 2 up, is 3 under through 10 holes while McDowell, who birdied three of his first four holes but only won one, is  even par after a double bogey at No. 9.

11:28 a.m. – Bill Haas, who won last week’s Northern Trust Open, made a 4-footer for birdie at the par-5 eighth hole to go 2 up in his match with Ryo Ishikawa. Haas won the seventh hole as well when his 20-year-old opponent from Japan came up short of the green in two and missed a 12-footer to save.

11:18 a.m. – Keegan Bradley, who plays Geoff Ogilvy at 1:15 p.m. ET, just tweeted: Perfect day. Can’t remember the last time I was this excited to play golf. #MatchPlay

11:05 a.m. – Another ball – Gary Woodland’s, this time — found the water at the third hole. Charl Schwartzel, who chipped in for eagle to win the second hole, is now 2 up.

10:55 a.m. – Jim Furyk has taken a 3-up lead over Dustin Johnson with a par at the fourth hole. About 15 minutes earlier Johnson conceded the third hole to Furyk after putting his tee shot at the par 3 into the pond on front of the green.

10:42 a.m. – Thomas Bjorn two-putts from 19 feet at the par-5 second hole to square his match with Francesco Molinari.

10:30 a.m. – Dustin Johnson drops opening hole to Jim Furyk after three-putting from 43 feet.

10: 15 a.m. – Zach Johnson rolls in 30-foot eagle putt at par-5 second. He’s 2-up on Hunter Mahan through three holes.

9:40 a.m. – In the opening match of the day, Y.E. Yang has quickly taken the lead against Graeme McDowell, who lost the first hole with a bogey. These two met a year ago in a third-round match in which Yang beat McDowell 3 and 2.  By the way, the weather is crisp, cool and cloudless – a perfect day for golf.