RORY McILROY returns to Dove Mountain in the Arizona Desert for today’s €6.2 million WGC-Accenture Matchplay Championship where he is joined in the select 64-man field by fellow Irishmen Pádraig Harrington and Graeme McDowell.
The 20-year-old enjoyed a fine run to the quarter-finals in this event 12 months ago when competing in his first tournament in the States as a professional. After three wins at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club he bowed out to eventual winner Geoff Ogilvy (2 and 1).
Clearly at ease with the desert conditions, McIlroy enjoyed contrasting fortunes compared to Harrington and McDowell as his fellow countrymen both bowed out in the first round.
McIlroy has been drawn as second seed behind Germany’s Martin Kaymer in the second quarter (Ben Hogan) where he will take on American Kevin Na in today’s first round.
McDowell is also in the Ben Hogan bracket and faces a difficult opening match against Luke Donald, his former Walker Cup team-mate. The pair were on Peter McEvoy’s 2001 side that retained the biennial trophy at Sea Island, Georgia for the first time in 79 years.
Should the Ulster pair win their two opening matches they will meet in the third round.
Harrington was drawn in the first bracket (Bobby Jones) where he will take on India’s Jeev Milka Singh today after finishing tied 16th at last week’s Pebble-Beach Pro-Am.
On paper the Dubliner’s most difficult opponent to get out of the bracket will be world number two and top seed this week Steve Stricker. The pair would meet at the quarter-final stage.
Stricker, who plays England’s Ross McGowan, is top seed in the absence of world number one Tiger Woods while world number three Phil Mickelson opted for a family holiday rather than competing this week.
With European Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie paying close attention this week, the Irish trio will want to put in strong performances, not only to cement their place at Celtic Manor in October but to be in with a chance of winning the €1 million first prize.
McIlroy required treatment on his back on his return home from the Dubai Desert Classic earlier this month but maintains he is fully fit. “The summer before the (2007) Walker Cup it was really bad,” said McIlroy in reference to a back problem he describes as a “stress change” in two facet joints in his lower back where the joints crunch together when he makes a full swing.
“This is fine, compared with what it used (to be like). You know, it comes and goes. If I play a couple of weeks in a row it’s fine.
“Play three weeks and I can feel it a little bit, and the fourth week it starts to hurt. So I’m trying to manage my schedule so I’m not playing too much golf and not putting too much stress on it.
“This was my first tournament in the States as a pro last year and I played pretty well,” added McIlroy, who lost to Ogilvy before the Australian went on to defeat England’s Paul Casey 4 and 3 in last year’s final. Ogilvy’s first assignment today is against Sweden’s Alexander Noren in the Gary Player bracket.
“It’s a good matchplay course. The greens are a little firmer than last year, which is going to make it a little tricky,” noted McIlroy after yesterday’s practice round. “This format is a bit different than what we usually play. It’s nice to be away from strokeplay for a bit. Kevin Na is a great competitor though, and I’m sure I’ll have my hands full.”
The Italian brothers of Edoardo and Francesco Molinari will create a little bit of history by becoming the first brothers to contest a WGC event. Francesco will take on American Zach Johnson – who McDowell lost to in last year’s first round – while Edoardo will play British Open champion Stewart Cink.
