ACCENTURE WORLD MATCHPLAY:Shane Lowry overcame a sleepless night following his shock win over Rory McIlroy by crushing Sweden's Carl Pettersson 6 and 5 to set up a potential third round clash with pal Graeme McDowell in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship today.

The world number 68 insisted after his one hole win over the world number one that he wasn’t in Tucson “to make up the numbers” and proved it in emphatic fashion, storming into a four up lead at the turn with a faultless display before closing out the world number 35 and five-time PGA Tour winner at the 13th.

It was an impeccable display by the 25-year old from Clara in Co Offaly, who must reach tomorrow morning’s semi-finals to break into the world’s top 50 and qualify for the WGC-Cadillac Championship in Miami in two weeks.

Ironically, he is now the only player left in the field who can knock Dubliner Padraig Harrington out of the top 50, denying the three-time Major winner a place in the Doral field.

Six under for the holes played, a delighted Lowry confessed: “I went out for dinner with the lads, my caddie and a few other guys, and I found it quite hard to sleep last night, I was on such a high.

“I got up this morning, spoke to my coach for quite a while on the phone and just reminded myself that it was only the first round.”

Lowry made six birdies and didn’t drop a shot as the Swede made just one birdie in a disappointing display.

“My iron play was particularly good,” Lowry said. “I think my alignment was out yesterday but I managed to sort it out on the range this morning and I only missed one green in 13 holes and made a few birdies.

“To get a 6 and 5 win in this tournament in this tournament is huge but I can’t get ahead of myself.

Snowball effect

“If I do win another couple of rounds it could have a snowball effect but I have to just rest tonight and get ready for the morning.

“I have a good mindset for matchplay and like the one and one battle. If it is Graeme, I’ll look forward to it.” As for the prospect of 36 holes a day over the weekend, he said: “I’ve done that as an amateur for years. It’s only golf.”

McDowell was one up against Noren after 14 holes on another day of surprises in the snow-delayed event that saw Luke Donald crushed 7 and 6 by Scott Piercy and Justin Rose lose 4 and 2 to Ryder Cup team mate Nicolas Colsaerts 4 and 2.

But all eyes are now on Lowry, who got off to the ideal start against fellow heavweight Pettersson, rifling a 163-yard approach to just five feet to set up a winning birdie at the first.

The next four holes were halved in pars but it was Pettersson who had to do all the scrambling, getting up and up and down from greenside traps at the fourth and fifth to remain just one down.

Playing beautifully

Lowry was playing beautifully and he was next to strike and with the tee pushed up at the short sixth, he hit a 148-yard tee shot to six feet and rolled in the putt to go two up.

He missed a 10-foot birdie chance to double his lead at the seventh but took advantage of a sensational 289-yard three wood approach to 16 feet at the eighth, two putting for birdie to go three up.

He extended his lead to four holes with a winning par at the ninth where Pettersson missed another green to the left.

The Swede had to hole a seven footer just to match Lowry’s birdie from 11 feet at the par-five 11th but then overshot the par-three 12th and bogeyed to hand the Irish player a five up lead with six to play.

It all ended at the next when Petterson missed a 24 footer for birdie and Lowry calmly rolled in a 16 footer for his sixth birdie of the day to close out a huge win.

McDowell took his match with Noren into extra holes witha timely birdie at the last after relinquishing the lead on the 15th and then going behind on the 17th.

But a gutsy approach at the 18th set up a birdie chance that the Ulster man converted to earn a reprieve. Noren rode his luck on the first play-off hole but managed to scramble a par. His luck ran out on the 20th hole however, when a wayward second shot
found the desert.

From there he could only find more trouble and conceded the match to McDowell.