Round 6: World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play
February 26 2012
1:40 pm
Championship match preview, notes
MARANA, Ariz. – Rory McIlroy and Hunter Mahan will play in the championship finals Sunday of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. That match will start at 2:20 p.m. ET, with the consolation match between Lee Westwood and Mark Wilson beginning at 2:05 p.m. ET.
It will be the first time in Accenture Match Play history that the two finalists are in their 20s. McIlroy, a No. 1 seed this week, is 22; Mahan, a No. 6 seed this week, is 29. It’s also the first time since 2001 that a player from the United States has met a player from Europe in the final.
The two have played against each other previously in this event – 2009, when McIlroy beat Mahan 1 up.
“It was a really good match,” McIlroy said. “So I’m expecting something similar to that.”
Should McIlroy win, he would win his first World Golf Championships event and become the youngest winner ever of a WGC event. He would also replace Luke Donald as the top-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking. And he would become the fourth consecutive international player to win the Accenture Match Play.
After Luke departed early, that was the goal this week — to try and get through as many rounds as possible, and give myself a chance to get to No. 1 in the world,” McIlroy said. “And I’ve given myself that chance this afternoon and hopefully I can take it.”
Should Mahan win, he would claim his second World Golf Championships title, having won the Bridgestone Invitational in 2010. He would also be the first American since Tiger Woods in 2008 to win this event.
Also, if Mahan wins, it will mark the first time Americans have won the first eight events on the PGA TOUR schedule since 2001, when Robert Allenby won the Northern Trust Open in the ninth event of the year. Prior to 2001, the last time Americans won the first eight events of the year was in 1991 when they won the first 12 before Ian Woosnam claimed the USF&G Classic (Zurich Classic of New Orleans).
At No. 22 in the Official World Golf Ranking entering this week, Mahan becomes the lowest ranked player to advance to the finals since Paul Casey (No. 23) in 2009. He is the lowest-ranked American to advance to the finals since Stewart Cink (No. 22) in 2008.
“I’ve got to beat one more incredible player to win,” Mahan said. “It’s going to be a tough match.”
1:28 pm
McIlroy def. Westwood, 3 and 1
MARANA, Ariz. — Four holes into his match against Lee Westwood, Rory McIlroy found himself 3 down to the steadiest player at this week’s World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. But there was no panic in the 22-year-old from Northern Ireland.
"I just tried to stay patient and chip away," McIlroy said. "I knew I had a few chances coming up."
It was more than a few … and he made the most of them. The reigning U.S. Open champ roared back by winning four of the next five holes to take a 1-up lead at the turn, ultimately winning 3 and 1 to reach his first finals match in his fourth appearance here.
He’ll now face Hunter Mahan in the championship finals. Should McIlroy win, he’ll replace Luke Donald as the world’s top-ranked player and would also become the youngest winner of a World Golf Championships event.
McIlroy made seven birdies against Westwood and was near-flawless after suffering a bogey at the par-3 third. Two of his birdies came at the par-3 sixth and 12th holes — his first two birdies on par-3 holes this week.
"I stepped up my game and made some birdies," McIlroy said. "Thankfully, that was enough to get it turned around."
The comeback started at the par-4 fifth. Westwood had all the momentum going into that hole, but missed the green with his approach shot and failed to save par with a 11-foot putt. McIlroy won the hole with a two-putt par and the comeback was on.
Westwood didn’t concede McIlroy’s short par putt, but McIlroy said there was no ill feelings about it.
"It’s getting to the business end of the tournament," he said. "You can’t be too nice and give all those putts."
Westwood said the pivotal hole was the par-5 11th. McIlroy’s second shot was sprayed to the right, but he got a fortunate bounce off the cart path and had a direct shot to the flag. Both players ended up making birdie as McIlroy remained 1 up.
“Could have gone out of bounds in a bush,” Westwood said of McIlroy’s shot. “It ends up perfect, and I have to hole from 12 feet for half. That sort of thing can change a match.”
Added McIlroy: “Very fortunate there. The ball could’ve ended up anywhere.”
Had Westwood won the hole, the match would have been all square and been “a different kettle of fish,” Westwood said.
In the end, though, Westwood said it was a matter of McIlroy’s putter getting hot.
"Like a lot of match play matches, Rory made ‘em and I missed ‘em," Westwood said.
MORE: McIlroy scorecard | Westwood scorecard
OTHER SEMIFINAL: Mahan def. Wilson, 2 and 1
WESTWOOD-McILROY UPDATES (all times ET)
12:57 p.m. – Westwood misses his par putt, and the hats come off. McIlroy wins the match and will face Hunter Mahan in the championship final. If McIlroy wins, he will become the top-ranked player in the world. McIlroy wins 3 and 1.
12:52 p.m. – Westwood’s approach shot at the par-4 17th catches a gust of wind and comes up short of the green. McIlroy follows by finding the putting surface, 30 feet from the pin. Westwood, runs his ball to the right, leaving him 8-1/2 feet from the pin. McIlroy, with a chance to end the match, sees his ball roll 4 feet past.
12:43 p.m. – Not a great birdie putt by Westwood, who runs it 4 feet past. He converts the par, though. McIlroy, who splashed out nicely from the bunker, follows with his par putt to halve the hole. Two holes to play and McIlroy’s 2 up.
12:38 p.m. – McIlroy may be feeling some pressure. After Westwood’s tee shot at the par-3 16th finishes 22 feet from the pin, McIlroy follows with a shot that finds the greenside bunker.
12:32 p.m. – After McIlroy blasts out of the bunker to give himself a decent look at birdie, Westwood answers by rolling in his eagle putt to win the hole. That’s the first hole Westwood has won since the fourth. McIlroy 2 up through 15.
12:27 p.m. – Westwood may not be done just yet. After McIlroy finds the bunker with his tee shot at the drivable par-4 15th, Westwood lashes a perfect drive that sets up an eagle putt inside 19 feet. He needs to make a move now.
12:22 p.m. – Both players make routine pars at the par-4 14th – McIlroy two-putting from 16 feet, Westwood from 36 feet. Neither of the short par putts were conceded.
12:10 p.m. – McIlroy finds the green in two at the par-5 13th and nearly rolls in the eagle putt from 36 feet. He birdies the hole and wins the 13th. In the last eight holes, McIlroy has six birdies; Westwood has one. McIlroy 3 up through 13
12:01 p.m. – Westwood’s drive at the par-5 13th sails into the gallery and ends up lodge in the back of a sweater worn by a woman. Billy Foster, Westwood’s caddie, quipped to the woman: “Would you mind walking 250 yards further?” After a few laughs, Westwood got a free drop.
11:57 a.m. – McIlroy’s birdie at the 12th was his first one of the week at that hole. McIlroy has now birdied the last two par 3s that he’s played. Prior to that, McIlroy had not made a birdie at a par-3 hole all week, and was a cumulative 6 over on the par 3s before his birdie at the sixth.
11:53 a.m. – McIlroy’s putter is on fire. He just rolled in a birdie putt of 24 feet, 5 inches at the par-3 12th to win the hole. Westwood had earlier missed from 41 feet. McIlroy 2 up through 12.
11:42 a.m. – For the second time in this match, Westwood opts for putter off the green, 90 feet from the pin. The ball rolls past the cup, 10 feet away. McIlroy follows with a creative pitch that takes the ridge and funnels to the hole, landing inside 3 feet for an easy birdie. But facing the loss of another hole, Westwood converts his birdie putt and follows by punching the air. The hole is halved with birdies.
11:36 a.m. – McIlroy hits a loose second shot that drifts to the right and hits the cart path. But instead of bounding into the native area and possibly under some shrubs, the ball ends up in the rough, just right of the green.
11:32 a.m. – At the par-5 11th, Westwood blasts another long drive, this one 350 yards (that’s 741 yards in his last two tee shots). McIlroy’s drive goes a “paltry” 339 yards.
11:26 a.m. – Both players make par at the 10th, as Westwood misses a birdie putt from 12 feet that would’ve squared the match.
11:22 a.m. – McIlroy opens the back nine with a tee shot of 363 yards on the par-4 10th. Westwood follows with an even bigger bomb – 391 yards. That’s just five yards shy of the longest drive of the week – Bubba Watson’s 396-yard drive in the first round, also at the 10th hole.
11:16 a.m. – Did Westwood make a mistake by forcing McIlroy to putt out at the fifth? The PGA TOUR Radio crew thinks so. It may have fired up the reigning U.S. Open champ. “McIlroy looks like a man on a mission right now,” said John Maginnes.
11:13 a.m. – Westwood slides his birdie attempt to the right side. McIlroy’s definitely got the hot hand right now, as he converts his birdie putt. Amazingly, after being 3 down through four holes, he will take the lead heading into the back nine. McIlroy 1 up through 9.
11:08 a.m. – Westwood hits terrific second shot at par-4 ninth to 12 feet. That’s the 30th green in regulation in his last 33 holes for Westwood. But McIlroy answers with an even better approach, landing eight feet from the pin.
10:59 a.m. – The comeback is complete. McIlroy has rallied all the way back from 3 down to square the match, as he rolls in a birdie putt from 14 feet, 8 inches at the par-5 ninth. Westwood missed his birdie putt from 29 feet. McIlroy has won three of past four holes and has all the momentum. All square through 8
10:44 a.m. – McIlroy misses birdie putt from just inside 15 feet at the par-4 seventh. Westwood follows by missing his attempt from inside 12 feet. Both players make par to halve the hole.
10:38 a.m. – This is just the second time all week that Westwood has lost two consecutive holes. Nicolas Colsaerts won two straight in his first-round loss to Westwood.
10:31 a.m. – You weren’t counting McIlroy out, were you? He just rolled in a birdie putt of 28 feet, 11 inches at the par-3 sixth to win his second consecutive hole against Westwood, who’s 27-foot birdie attempt from the same line came up just short. Westwood 1 up through 6.
10:23 a.m. – At the par-5 fifth, both players find the rough off the tee. McIlroy sends his approach past the pin but it holds the green; Westwood’s approach bounces past the green. His chip leaves him 10 feet to save par. McIlroy has just 2 feet to save par but Westwood doesn’t concede the putt. Westwood misses his par putt but McIlroy knocks his in to win his first hole of the day. Has the rally started? Westwood 2 up through 5.
10:15 a.m. – McIlroy has a tough chore rallying from 3 down. Just two times this week has a player come back from 3 down to win – Jason Day in his first-round match against Rafael Cabrera Bello, and Dustin Johnson in his first-round match against Jim Furyk.
10:10 a.m. – Only one other time this week has Westwood won three consecutive holes against an opponent. That came in the third round against Nick Watney.
10:08 a.m. –McIlroy’s pitch runs 11 feet past the hole, while Westwood uses putter off the green and runs it five feet past. McIlroy misses his birdie attempt; Westwood makes his. Just four holes into the match and Westwood is in total command after winning last three holes. Westwood 3 up through 4.
10:02 a.m. – At the drivable par-4 fourth, Westwood’s tee shot is on line but comes up just short of the green, while McIlroy lands in the primary rough to the right side.
9:56 a.m. – Another errant shot has McIlroy in the greenside bunker at the par-3 third. After Westwood comes up just an inch short of making his 48-foot birdie putt. McIlroy follows with a bunker shot that hits the cup and skids five feet past. But he can’t make the comebacker to save par and loses the hole. Westwood 2 up through 3.
9:49 a.m. – Westwood pitches to five feet. McIlroy misses his birdie attempt from 22 feet. Westwood rolls in his short birdie putt. McIlroy’s now trailing for the first time since the 10th hole of Wednesday’s first round. Westwood 1 up through 2.
9:40 a.m. – After finding the fairway bunker with his tee shot at the par-5 second, McIlroy hits a poor second shot that comes out low and hits near the lip of the bunker before skidding out 90 yards up the fairway. Westwood lays up with his second shot.
9:31 a.m. – After missing the green with his approach, McIlroy produced a nice chip for a conceded par. Westwood found the green with his approach but missed his birdie attempt from 15 feet, 8 inches. All square through 1.
9:22 a.m. ET – McIlroy finds the fairway with his opening tee shot but Westwood’s drive bounces into the rough on the left side.
1:00 pm
Mahan defeats Wilson 2 and 1
MARANA, Ariz. – Hunter Mahan gets to go for the second leg of the World Golf Championships grand slam after beating Mark Wilson 2 and 1 in the semifinals of the Accenture Match Play Championship.
Mahan, who won the 2010 Bridgestone Invitational, won the first two holes on Sunday morning and never looked back. For his efforts, he’ll get a rematch with world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, a 3-and-1 winner over Lee Westwood in the other semifinal, for the title beginning at 2:20 p.m. ET.
McIlroy, who would take over the top spot in the world rankings with a win Sunday afternoon, sent Mahan packing in the second round in 2009, winning on the final green.
“It’s a great feeling,” Mahan said. “It’s a long, brutal week. You’ve got to beat five great players to get here. I’ve got to beat one more incredible player to win. It’s going to be a tough match. I’m very proud of myself.”
If Mahan should win the championship, he’d be the sixth player to hold multiple World Golf Championships titles. And there’s a chance for another just two weeks down the road at the Cadillac Championship at Doral.
"I think when we have these WGC events, it would be cool to have all the trophies,” Mahan had said on Saturday. “… So being in that position, I kind of think about that. That would be cool to win one and then you have to win Doral. Unless they keep adding them, then that’s going to make it more difficult.”
Mahan was solid again on Sunday morning against Wilson. He made five birdies and two bogeys in 17 holes, repeatedly pouring in clutch putts to hold off Wilson, who will meet Westwood in a match to decide third place beginning at 2:05 p.m. ET.
Trailing 2 down at the turn, Wilson did mount a bit of a charge on the back nine but he could never get over the hump. He and Mahan halved the 10th and 11th holes with birdies and then the former UNC standout won the 12th with a two-putt par to go 1 down.
Wilson had a 12-footer for birdie at the 13th hole and a 21-footer at the next – both of which would have squared the match. But neither fell and Mahan regained some breathing room at the 321-yard par-4 15th when his drive settled just in front of the green and he got up and down for his final birdie.
“I think when I chipped in on 10, I thought it was going to be a good turning point, but we both birdied 11,” Wilson said. “13 and 14 are kind of ones that stick in my mind. A couple of 20‑footers that if I could have got one of those going it might have been a different story.”
At that point, it was only a matter of time. Mahan has been extremely solid in all phases of the game this week but a lot of the credit goes to his putter – he’s made 28 birdies this week, more than any other player in the semifinals, and repeatedly drained the par putts he needed to halve holes.
“You can’t just hit the greens, you’re going to have 20 footers over these mounds and it’s going to be tough to make putts,” Mahan said. “So it’s a combination of things, good driving, killing the par 5s, good chips and stuff, a combination of things. But without the putter, I really wouldn’t have had a chance.”
MORE: Mahan scorecard | Wilson scorecard | Preview | WATCH: Mahan birdie No. 2
OTHER SEMIFINAL: McIlroy-Westwood updates
SEMIFINAL UPDATES (All times ET)
12:43 p.m. – Hunter Mahan has beaten Mark Wilson 2 and 1 to reach the Accenture finals for the first time. Wilson missed a 55-footer for birdie at the 17th before Mahan did the same from 30 feet. Wilson conceded the 23-inch par putt and the match.
12:34 p.m. – Mahan putts first for par and makes it. Wilson rolls in his 4-footer to halve and now the match is dormie. That means Wilson needs to figure out a way to win the next two holes to advance. Mahan leads 2 up through 16 holes.
12:28 p.m. – Mahan finds the greenside bunker but once again hangs tough, blasting out to 5 feet. Wilson needs the 25-footer for birdie in the worst way but he is unable to convert.
12:25 p.m. – We’re getting into uncharted territory for Wilson and Mahan. Wilson hasn’t seen the 16th hole in competition since Thursday while Mahan only played it in his opening match with Zach Johnson.
12:18 p.m. – Mahan’s eagle chip stopped 7 feet short. Wilson then chipped to 18 inches and his par was conceded. Mahan buried his birdie putt for the all-important win and the holes continue to dwindle. Mahan leads 2 up through 15 holes.
12:13 p.m. – As PGA TOUR Radio’s John Maginnes noted, Wilson put his tee shot on the driveable par-4 14th hole in the “only place he didn’t want to hit it.” The ball landed in a pot bunker about 30 yards short of the green. Mahan, meanwhile, is just short of the putting surface and chipping for eagle.
12:07 p.m. – Once again Wilson has a birdie putt to win the hole after Mahan fails to convert. Wilson misses on the low side, though, and he now has four holes remaining in his comeback attempt. Mahan leads 1 up through 14 holes.
12:04 p.m. – Mahan put his drive into the left fairway bunker but managed to find the putting surface, 31 feet from the pin. Wilson was in the middle of the fairway and ended up 21 feet left of the hole.
11:54 a.m. – Wilson had a golden opportunity to square the match for the first time after Mahan missed his birdie putt. But Wilson’s ball stubbornly refused to fall so the hole is halved. Mahan leads 1 up through 13 holes.
11:50 am. – Wilson and Mahan both found fairway bunkers about 30 yards short of the green at the par-5 13th hole. Wilson, who was in the back bunker, blasted to 11 feet for a birdie. Mahan then hit an indifferent bunker shot to 20 feet.
11:35 a.m. – Wilson took advantage, too, putting his 36-footer for birdie to tap-in distance. When Mahan missed the 17-footer to the left, Wilson had his first win in the last six holes – with the last par 5 on the horizon. Mahan 1 up through 12 holes.
11:33 a.m. – Mahan’s 6-iron rolled through the green and into the rough on the par-3 12th hole. Mahan has given Wilson a bit of an opening because his flop stopped 17 feet short.
11:29 a.m. – Mahan missed the lengthy eagle putt and Wilson blasted out to 8 feet. He made the birdie putt and Mahan matched him. Mahan 2 up through 11 holes.
111:20 a.m. – Prior to Saturday, Wilson had played the par 5s in 10 under. He didn’t birdie either of the two on the front nine, though, and he finds himself in a greenside bunker at the par-5 11th. Unfortunately for Wilson, Mahan is on the green in two and looking at a 43-foot eagle putt.
11:12 a.m. – Wilson hit his drive into the rough and his second short of the green. But he made it look easy as he chipped in from 54 feet to put the pressure on Mahan, who had hit a brilliant approach from the deep fairway bunker to 4 feet. Mahan made his birdie to halve. Mahan leads 2 up through 10.
10:59 a.m. – Neither player did himself any favors at the ninth hole. Mahan had a 50-footer that slid 7-feet by the hole. Wilson missed his 24-footer on the high side and his 13-inch putt was conceded. Mahan made his par putt. Mahan 2 up through 9.
10:46 a.m. – After a 300-yard drive into the fairway, Hunter Mahan came up just short of the green at No. 8. His third shot stopped 12 feet from the pin and he had a chance to win the hole after Wilson left his birdie try 10 inches from the cup. Mahan 2 up through 8.
10:40 a.m. – Mark Wilson hit his drive into the right fairway bunker and had to lay up on the par-5 eighth. His third shot caught the slope and rolled back 31 feet from the pin.
10:28 a.m. – Wilson hits a nice shot from the difficult lie but he can’t convert the 12-footer for par. So Mahan wins the hole when he makes his par putt. Mahan 2 up through 7.
10:22 a.m. – Both players failed to hit the seventh green in regulation. Wilson has a difficult sidehill, downhill lie in the rough to a green that slopes away from him. Mahan blasted out of a fairway bunker and nearly holed his third shot, spinning back to 7 feet.
10:14 a.m. – The pin at the par-3 sixth hole is on a ridge and neither player was able to get it close. Mahan left his 42-footer for birdie 3 feet from the pin. Wilson was unable to convert from 21 feet and once Mahan made his par, the hole was halved. Mahan 1 up through 6
10:07 a.m. – Mark Wilson just made his first birdie of the day, pouring in an 18-footer to win the fifth hole. Mahan 1 up through 5.
10:03 a.m. – Hunter Mahan – dare we say it – shanked his second shot at the fifth hole. The ball traveled wide right and landed on the sixth tee, about 50 yards from the green. He recovered nicely, though, chipping to 5 feet for a potential par.
9:52 p.m. – Both pros found the fairway at the 336-yard fourth hole. Mahan stuck his wedge to 18 feet while Wilson’s stops 10 feet further. He misses his birdie putt but Mahan buries his. Mahan 2 up through 4.
9:43 p.m. – Wilson misses his birdie putt but wins the hole when Mahan, who blasted out to 12 feet, can’t bury that putt for par. Mahan was 5 for 5 in sand saves in his four previous matches. Mahan 1 up through 3.9:40 a.m. – Mahan puts his tee shot at the par-3 third hole in the left greenside bunker while Wilson’s 5-iron finds the back edge of the green and rolls back to 25 feet.
9:34 a.m. – Both players found fairway bunkers off the tee at No. 2 so they played the par 5 as a three-shot hole. Wilson missed his 15-footer for birdie but Mahan converted from 5 feet. Mahan 2 up through 2.
9:16 a.m. – Mahan hits first and finds the green, about 18 feet from the pin. Wilson has a clear shot in the desert and nearly makes the putting surface but his ball rolls back on the closely mown area. He chips to 5 feet but the putt lips out. Mahan two-putts, his second, a 3-footer is on the same line as Wilson’s was, to win. Mahan 1 up though 1.
9:05 a.m. – The sky is a combination of light blue, pink and gold as the two players step to the first tee and shake hands. It’s cool; both are wearing gray sweaters but Hunter Mahan has donned a red cap. Mark Wilson tees off first and hits his drive left into the desert. Hunter Mahan also goes left but his ball stays on the edge of the fairway.
12:55 pm
Semifinal notes from inside the ropes
By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
MARANA, Ariz. — Hunter Mahan must be a morning person. He and Mark Wilson teed off at 7:05 a.m. and Mahan immediately took the lead winning the first two holes with a par and a birdie. It was a lead he would never relinquish.
Slow Start: Mark Wilson could never even his match with Mahan after hitting two uncharacteristic shots on the first two holes. Wilson missed a three-foot par putt at the first and then could not get a wedge to spin at the par-5 second hole. He lost both holes to Mahan and never drew even.
Fore Right: Hunter Mahan played great golf in his semifinal but had one bad shot. It came at the 5th hole when he shanked his second shot onto the 6th tee. Mahan hit a great wedge and made par but it wasn’t enough as Wilson rolled home a birdie to win the hole.
Turning Point: Mark Wilson had a chance to square his match with Mahan. He had makeable birdie putts at both the 13th and 14th holes but could not roll it into the cup. Mahan then birdied the 15th and closed out the match 2 and 1 on the 17th.
Muscle Man: Lee Westwood showed off his new physique with a couple huge drives on the 10th and 11th holes. A drive of 391 yards on the 10th and 350 yards at the 11th. Two shots covering 741 yards for the Englishman.
Putt It Out: Few putts were conceded by Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy in their semifinal matchup. At the 5th green, McIlroy had two-foot putt to win the hole but it was not conceded. McIlroy took not time in slamming it into the back of the cup. From that point forward, everything was putted out.
Fortunate Bounce: Lee Westwood looked to be in good shape on the 11th hole when Rory McIlroy sent his second shot toward the desert. The ball hit the cart path to the right of the green and instead of bouncing into the desert, it bounded toward the green leading to birdie. The 11th was halved but McIlroy clearly had the momentum from that point forward.
Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and is inside the ropes this week at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.
8:18 am
PGA TOUR Today
Semifinals preview
Amanda Balionis breaks down the early matches Sunday at Dove Mountain.
Round 4: World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play
February 25 2012
8:51 pm
Make your picks for Sunday
The semifinals are set for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy and England’s Lee Westwood will face off in one semifinal, while Americans Hunter Mahan and Mark Wilson square off in the other semifinal. The winners will play Sunday afternoon for the title.
Chances are you didn’t have all four of those in your brackets, but who do you like now? Tell us below who will play in the final and who will take home the Accenture Match Play title.
6:40 pm
Westwood, McIlroy bout leads semis
MARANA, Ariz. — The marquee match everyone had hoped for materialized on Saturday when top-seeded Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy won their quarterfinal matches.
Adding extra spice to the battle between the world No. 2 from Northern Ireland and his English counterpart, who ranks third, is that the one who emerges victorious could jump to the top of the rankings should he go on to win the Accenture Match Play Championship.
“Walking around the locker room I said I’ll see you on the first tee tomorrow morning,” McIlroy said. “Yeah, I think it’s the match that most people wanted and definitely the match that I wanted. And I’m excited about tomorrow. It should be a lot of fun and very exciting for everyone involved.”
Standing in the way of either McIlroy or Westwood at Dove Mountain, though, will be an American after Hunter Mahan and Mark Wilson emerged with fourth round wins, as well. Neither trailed in their match and Wilson has not seen the 17th or 18th holes all week.
“I think Mark is going to hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens, he’s a steady, consistent player,” said Mahan, whose first match went extra holes but the last three have ended by No. 15. “He’s playing well now. It would be fun to play against a Ping guy in Arizona. That will be exciting.”
Mahan’s 6-and-5 victory over Matt Kuchar was the most lopsided ever in the quarterfinals while Mark Wilson was in control of his 4-and-3 win over Sweden’s Peter Hanson. Westwood polished off Martin Laird 4 and 2 Saturday afternoon after McIlroy ended PGA TOUR rookie Sang-moon Bae’s surprising run 3 and 2.
The Americans will be first off in their match at 9:05 a.m. ET (7:05 a.m. MT) while McIlroy and Westwood will tee off 15 minutes later. The consolation match will then start at approximately 1:50 p.m. ET (11:50 a.m. MT) with the championship starting at roughly 2:05 p.m. ET (12:05 a.m. MT).
6:15 pm
Notes from inside the ropes
By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent
MARANA, Ariz. – Mark Wilson is playing with a bit of a chip on his shoulder this week. When he walked into the interview room following Friday’s match with Dustin Johnson one reporter asked, “are you supposed to be here?”
“I think I have been an underdog in every match I’ve played,” Wilson said. “Because I’m not very tall I think a lot of people assume I’m a short hitter. I’m not a short hitter.” Wilson has averaged 296 yards off the tee this week and will be the underdog in Sunday’s match with Hunter Mahan.
Fighting it: Peter Hanson had a simple swing thought that helped him all week long. He concentrated on getting behind the ball, getting his weight back, then turning through. It was good enough to hit 26 of 36 fairways during the first three rounds, but it did not work on Saturday. "I could not get my weight off my right side and kept blocking everything to the right," Hanson said. He ended up hitting five of 12 fairways in losing to Mark Wilson 4 and 3.
Short game: Instructor Sean Foley says Mahan has concentrated on his short game. Practice must make perfect — Mahan is five for five in bunker saves this week. He hasn’t needed to chip much in his matches as Mahan has hit 39 of 62 greens.
A bullet: Lee Westwood’s most impressive shot of the day came at the 11th hole. He had 272 yards into the wind for his second shot into the par-5 and managed to hit a bullet of a 3-wood that never got very high in the air. The shot knifed through the wind and found the back of the green. Maybe the golfing gods did not appreciate the play because Westwood went on the three-putt the hole. It was still an impressive shot and the three-putt did not matter as Westwood closed out Martin Laird 4 and 2.
Sand man: It’s one of the embarrassing moments that every golfer has experienced. Laird had a difficult bunker shot at the 14th. It was so difficult, Laird left the shot in the bunker. He hit it again and was still in the bunker. Finally he found the green on his third attempt. It was part of a tough hole and a long day for Laird but every golfer has been there.
Cup Repair: Hanson looked at the cup on the 14th hole and determined it was damaged but also knew the rules. A damaged cup can only be repaired by a rules official. He called for an official who inspected the cup and quickly repaired the damage. Hanson still lost the hole and match to Mark Wilson but his only bogeys came from bad shots and not from a rules infraction.
Putt for dough: Matt Kuchar has the reputation as one of the best putters on the PGA TOUR, but his game was off in Saturday’s match against Mahan. He missed six putts inside of 12 feet. For the season, Kuchar is ranked 68th in Strokes Gained-Putting but was 26th in SGP in 2011. Kuchar switched from a conventional putter last year to a longer putter he secured to his forearm and now uses a belly putter this year.
Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio and is inside the ropes this week at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.
5:53 pm
Round 4: Live updates, news and notes
MARANA, Ariz. – Saturday’s quarterfinal round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship has started. A total of four 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.
WATCH SATURDAY HIGHLIGHTS: Mahan at the 2nd | Wilson at the 5th | Hanson at the 2nd
| Wilson at the 8th
QUARTERFINAL UPDATES (All times ET)
5:53 p.m. – Lee Westwood or Rory McIlroy could take over world No. 1 should they go on to win on Sunday. Westwood isn’t concerned with anything but his semifinal, though, telling PGA TOUR Radio: “The winner of that match gets to play in the finals with a chance to win the tournament. That’s all I should be thinking about.”
5:49 p.m. – Lee Westwood has beaten Martin Laird 4 and 2 to set up a semifinal match with world No. 2 Rory McIlroy. Laird conceded Westwood’s 2-footer for par at the 16th hole after the he was unable to save from 11 feet.
5:37 p.m. – Lee Westwood and Martin Laird halved the 15th hole with birdies so that match is dormie. The Englishman, ranked No. 2 in the world, is 3 up with three holes remaining.
5:32 p.m. — Rory McIlroy has beaten an extremely game Sang-moon Bae 4 and 2. McIlroy hit his tee shot at the par-3 16th 51 feet from the pin while Bae found the greenside bunker. McIlroy put his second 23 inches from the pin and when Bae couldn’t hole his bunker shot, he conceded.
5:28 p.m. – Lee Westwood has gone 3 up with four holes remaining in his match with Martin Laird. The Scotsman conceded after leaving his second shot in a greenside bunker and blasting out to 5 feet for a potential par. Westwood, meanwhile, had driven just in front of the green, 22 feet from the pin.
5:25 p.m. – Rory McIlroy played another brilliant chip at the 15th hole to 3 feet for a birdie that lifted him to 3 up on Sang-moon Bae with three holes remaining. Bae also missed the green at the driveable par 4 but was unsuccessful on the ensuing 23-footer for birdie.
5:12 p.m. – Sang-moon Bae had a shot to cut into Rory McIlroy’s lead at the 14th hole after the Northern Irishman missed a 9-footer for birdie. But Bae was unable to convert his own 8-footer so the margin remains 2 up in McIlroy’s favor.
5:10 p.m. – After a 358-yard drive at the par-5 13th hole, Martin Laird put his second shot to 14 feet for eagle. He couldn’t convert the golden opportunity, though, and Westwood got up and down from in front of the green to halve, making the 7-footer for birdie to stay 2 up.
5:03 p.m. — Sang-moon Bae, whose tee shot at the 13th settled under the lip of the right fairway bunker and his second veered into the desert, was beside the green looking at a chip to save par when Rory McIlroy blasted out of a greenside bunker to 22 inches for a tap-in birdie. Bae conceded and McIlory is now 2 up.
4:49 p.m. – Martin Laird cut into Lee Westwood’s lead when he got up and down from just in front of the green at the par-5 11th for birdie. Westwood, who three-putted for par from 61 feet, is now 2 p.
4:45 p.m. – Hunter Mahan has three TOUR wins, including the 2010 World Golf Championship-Bridgestone Invitational. His semifinal foe, Mark Wilson, won his fifth last month at the Humana Challenge. A win this week would give Wilson more PGA TOUR victories (four) than any other player in 2011-2012.
4:36 p.m. – Rory McIlroy hit his second shot just shy of the green at the 11th hole and his third to 8 inches at the par-5 12th to go 1 up on San Moon Bae. The South Korean missed a 30-foot birdie putt there.
4:33 p.m. – Lee Westwood continues to take advantage of Martin Laird’s mistakes and is 3 up now after making par from the desert at the 10th hole. Laird’s tee shot there lodged under a scrub bush and he had to chip out backwards. The Scotsman put his third shot from 199 yards to 5 feet but missed the putt to halve.
4:30 p.m. – Mark Wilson has yet to play the 17th or 18th holes in his four rounds this week. Luke Donald (2011) and Tiger Woods (2003) are the only players to win the Accenture Match Play Championship without playing the 18th hole. No player has won without playing the last two holes all week.
4:18 p.m. – Martin Laird continues to struggle with his swing and Lee Westwood took advantage to win for the third time in the last four holes. Laird missed the ninth green to the left, chipped on and missed a 21-footer to save par after the Brit put his 24-footer for birdie to tap-in distance for the 2 up lead.
4:16 p.m. – Sang-moon Bae has squared his match with Rory McIlroy, who had to take a drop from what the locals call a kettle bush and ended up two-putting from 38-feet for bogey at the 10th hole.
4:09 p.m. – Interesting stat on NBC just now – Rory McIlroy has played the back nine even par while Bae is 7 under.
4:01 p.m. – Neither Martin Laird nor Lee Westwood played the par-5 eighth hole particularly well. But Laird stopped the bleeding when he put his fourth shot on the green and made the 6-footer to save par and halve the hole with the Englishman.
3:49 p.m. – Lee Westwood rolled in a 14-footer for birdie, his second of the day, at the seventh hole to take his first lead against Martin Laird, who has battled errant tee shots on the last two holes.
3:46 p.m. – Rory McIlroy’s third birdie of the day has given him a 1-up advantage over Sang Moon Bar after eight holes. The Northern Irishman chipped on at the par 5 and made a 5-footer after Bae put his third shot just over the green and was unable to hole his 33-footer.
3:41 p.m. – Peter Hanson, who only hit 5 of 12 fairways on Saturday, had this to say to PGA TOUR Radio’s Frad Albers. “I am pretty disappointed. I played pretty bad. My solid game off the tee was gone today. Mark played steady and I gave him around 10 and 11.”
3:39 p.m. – Mark Wilson, who now plays Hunter Mahan in the semifinals., talked to PGA TOUR Radio after his win. “We both played pretty well on the front nine. He gave me a couple of holes at the turn and I just took advantage of it. … It’s nice to make that (putt) to win the match.”
3:33 p.m. — Mark Wilson rolled in an 8-footer for birdie at the 15th hole to beat Peter Hanson 4 and 3 to reach the semifinals for the first time in is career. Hanson drove the green at the 333-yard 15th hole but he couldn’t convert a 68-footer for eagle.
3:30 p.m. – Lee Westwood saved par from the lone greenside bunker at the par-3 sixth hole to square his match with Martin Laird, who hit his tee shot against the hospitality tent and chipped long across the green.
3:24 p.m. – Mark Wilson has gone 4 up with four holes remaining after Peter Hanson bogeyed the 14th hole. The Swede hit his second shot into the greenside bunker, then blasted out and missed the 16-footer to save par.
3:22 p.m. – Hunter Mahan’s 6-and-5 win is the most lopsided quarterfinal win in Match Play history.
3:19 p.m. – Hunter Mahan told PGA TOUR Radio: “He’s a great player and a great putter. I just got lucky today.” Kuchar counted: “Hunter was steady. He sure was. He played great all week. I don’t know what happened there with the putting. .. So untypical for me."
3:18 p.m. – PGA TOUR Radio’s John Maginnes on Hunter Mahan’s stress-free 6 and 5 win over Matt Kuchar: "That’s like getting a fourth-round bye."
3:15 p.m. — Hunter Mahan has just polished off Matt Kuchar by a lopsided 6-and-5 margin at the 13th hole. Kuchar, who finished third at Dove Mountain a year ago, chipped to 5 inches for a conceded birdie at the par 5 but Mahan made his own 3-footer to win
3:08 p.m. – Mark Wilson has gone 3 up at the final par 5, chipping to 3 feet for birdie as Peter Hanson finds the fairway bunker, then a greenside bunker and chips over the 13th green. The Swede makes his 7-footer to save par but Wilson had no problem with the birdie putt.
2:54 p.m. – Sang-moon Bae poured in a birdie from outside 13 feet. Rory McIlroy followed by making his 11-foot birdie putt, with the ball circling the lip of the cup before dropping in.
2:42 p.m. – Rory McIlroy found the water with his tee shot at the par-3 third. Meanwhile, Sang-moon Bae hit a nice tee shot to 18 feet. McIlroy eventually conceded the hole; that match is all square.
2:40 p.m. – Peter Hanson suffers his second consecutive bogey, this time at the par-5 11th, and is now 2 down to Mark Wilson.
2:35 p.m. – Matt Kuchar continues to have his problems. He bogeyed the par-4 10th after missing the green with his approach shot and failing to convert a 7-foot par putt. He’s now 6 down to Hunter Mahan. Kuchar has five bogeys in his first 10 holes.
2:31 p.m. – Martin Laird makes a 7-1/2 foot birdie putt to win the first hole. Lee Westwood now trails for the first time all week on the 50th hole he’s played.
2:20 p.m. — Lee Westwood and Martin Laird have just teed off to start the final match of the day. Laird has hit 75 percent of his greens in regulation this week; Westwood is at 73.5 percent. Only Peter Hanson (77.4 percent) has a better percentage among the final eight.
2:19 p.m. – Hunter Mahan just used his second-straight birdie to go 5 up on Matt Kuchar at the ninth hole. Mahan made a 20-footer for the win after halving the par-5 eighth with a birdie.
2:17 p.m. – Mark Wilson won the 10th hole with a par after Peter Hanson found his tee shot in a prickly shrub and had to hit out sideways. So the match is all square again.
2:16 p.m. – Rory McIlroy wasted little time asserting himself, rolling in an 8-footer for birdie to win the first hole. Sang-moon Bae was safely on the green in two but he left himself a 32-foot birdie putt that went 5 feet by the hole.
2:10 p.m. – Peter Hanson has squared his match as he and Mark Wilson head to the back nine. Hanson made a 3-footer for birdie at No. 9 after Wilson missed one from 15 feet.
2:07 p.m. – In case you were wondering, the youngest winner in Accenture history is Tiger Woods, who was 27 days, 2 months and 2 days old when he won in 2003.
2:05 p.m. – Rory McIlroy and Sang-moon Bae have just teed off to start their match. Of the eight players left in the tournament, these two are the youngest — McIlroy is 22; Bae is 25
1:52 p.m. – Mark Wilson has birdied both par 5s on the front nine and he’s back to 1 up in his match with Peter Hanson. Wilson made a 13-footer at the eighth after Hanson was unable to convert from 20.
1:48 p.m. – Matt Kuchar’s fourth bogey has given Hunter Mahan at 4 up advantage at the seventh hole. Kuchar three-putted from 39 feet, missing a 7-footer to save par.
1:34 p.m. – Hunter Mahan continues to roll. Interestingly, he’s 3 up but has yet to make a birdie. Neither has Kuchar, but he just gave the par-3 sixth to Mahan with his third bogey of the day.
1:24 p.m. – Hunter Mahan owns a 2-up lead after Matt Kuchar three-putted the fifth hole from 53 feet, missing the 6-footer to save par.
1:20 p.m. – Peter Hanson has squared his match with Mark Wilson with a par to the American’s bogey at the par-3 sixth. Both players missed the green and Wilson couldn’t convert from 9 feet while the Swede made his from 8 feet.
1:09 p.m. – Matt Kuchar has a chance to win the fourth hole but he missed a 12-footer for birdie. Hunter Mahan was in the back bunker but he blasted out and made the 6-footer to save and halve the hole.
1:01 p.m. – Peter Hanson and Mark Wilson halved the fourth hole with two-putt pars from 21 and 17 feet, respectively.
12:59 p.m. — Hunter Mahan has gone 1 up at the third hole after Matt Kuchar hit his tee shot into the water. Mahan putted his 35-footer to tap-in distance for the win.
12:48 p.m. – Matt Kuchar and Hunter Mahan halved the par-5 second hole with pars. Kuchar two-putted from 6 feet – missing his birdie by 6 inches — while Mahan did the same from 48 feet, making a 5-footer for the save.
12:44 p.m. – Mark Wilson remains 1 up after getting up-and-down from the greenside bunker at the third hole, draining a 7-footer to save. Hanson missed the green to the right there and made his own 4-footer for par.
12:34 p.m. – Mark Wilson missed a 10-footer for eagle at the second hole but his tap-in birdie matched Hanson’s from 6 feet as the Swede got up and down from beside the green on the 568-yard par 5.
12:30 p.m. – Matt Kuchar and Hunter Mahan both had birdie putts on the first nine, from 35 and 15 feet, respectively. Neither converted, though, so the hole was halved with pars.
12:25 p.m. – The first two quarterfinals will likely be on the back nine when top-seeded Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood tee off in their respective bouts. McIlroy faces Sang-moon Bae at 2:05 p.m. ET and Westwood takes on Martin Laird 15 minutes later. The decision was made to space out the action throughout the day.
12:20 p.m. — Americans Matt Kuchar and Hunter Mahan have just teed off in the second match. That means the U.S. is assured of having a player in the semifinal for the second straight year. The only time in Accenture history that there hasn’t been at least one American in the semifinals is 2010.
12:18 p.m. – Mark Wilson has won the first hole of the quarterfinals, making a 5-footer for par after both he and Hanson missed the green. The Swede missed an 8-footer to save.
12:05 p.m. — Peter Hanson and Mark Wilson have just teed off in the opening match of the day. Each player has played just 47 holes in the first three rounds, fewest of any of the eight remaining competitors. And Hanson has yet to trail at any point this week.
Noon – Another chamber of commerce day is on tap here in the Arizona desert with sunny skies and a high in the upper 70s. The winds will be from the south to southeast at 5-10 mph until midafternoon at which time they’ll shirt to the west-northwest at 10 mph.
4:40 pm
Watch: McIlroy goes 2 up
McIlroy's brilliant bunker play
Rory McIlroy hits his 85-foot third shot from the bunker on the par-5 13th hole to a foot.
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