Victor Dubuisson looked shattered as he prepared to dash to the limo that was to whisk him to Phoenix airport and back to Cannes via London following his thrilling WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship tussle and ultimate defeat to Jason Day.
Graeme McDowell insists he has “plenty left in the tank” for what he expects will be a tough Ryder Cup rematch with Celtic Manor victim Hunter Mahan despite being forced to come back from the dead for the second day in a row in the WGC-Accenture Match Play at Dove Mountain.
Rory McIlroy might have talent to burn but the manner of his 19th hole defeat to Harris English could not have contrasted more with the way Graeme McDowell chiseled out a one up win over Hideki Matsuyama in the second round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play at Dove Mountain.
Matt Kuchar with the WGC-Accenture Match Play trophy. Picture: Fran Caffrey / www.golffile.ieMatt Kuchar survived a dramatic back nine fightback by Hunter Mahan to beat his former Ryder Cup team mate 2 and 1 and claim the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship at a bitterly cold Dove Mountain last night.
Graeme McDowell during the quarterfinals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play. Picture: Fran Caffrey / www.golffile.ieGraeme McDowell and Shane Lowry should have been the happiest of the four Irish hopefuls who did battle in the WGC-Accenture Match Play before escaping the snow and biting winds of Dove Mountain.
Graeme McDowell lost to Jason Day in the quarter-finals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Fran Caffrey / www.golffile.ieGraeme McDowell lost by one hole to an excruciatingly slow Jason Day in the quarter-finals but left Dove Mountain buoyed by his best ever result in the WGC-Accenture Match Play.
Graeme McDowell, pictured the second, was like an assassin on the greens against Shane Lowry. Picture Fran Caffrey / www.golffile.ieGraeme McDowell did Pádraig Harrington a massive favour when he ended Shane Lowry’s magical run and sent his pal packing in the third round of the WGC-Accenture Matchplay at Dove Mountain.
Shane Lowry produced some of his best golf to beat Carl Pettersson 6 and 5 in Tucson and set up a last 16 meeting with close friend Graeme McDowell. Picture: Fran Caffrey / www.golffile.ieShane Lowry overcame a restless night following his shock win over Rory McIlroy to crush Carl Pettersson 6 and 5 and set up a dream last 16 clash with pal Graeme McDowell in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson.
Shane Lowry is congratulated by Rory McIlroy following his 1 up in at Dove Mountain in the first round of the Accenture Match Play in Arizona. Picture ©Getty ImagesLet’s leave the Nike-Rory post mortems aside for a moment and let Shane Lowry take a bow for a potentially career-changing desert triumph that was born on a golf course in the Irish midlands.
Graeme McDowell was relieved to beat Padraig Harrington 2 up in Tucson. Picture: Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ieGraeme McDowell got a scary glimpse of the competitive animal inside Padraig Harrington before surviving a dramatic back nine comeback to beat him on the 18th and set up a second round showdown with Sweden’s Alex Noren in the weather-delayed WGC-Accenture Match Play.
Dove Mountain blanketed in two inches of snow. Picture Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ieMemories of hail-lashed days in the West of Ireland championship came flooding back for Ireland’s quartet of stars as snowfall forced the first round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play in Arizona to be suspended.
Rory McIlroy signs an autograph for a child from the Boys and Girls Club of Tucson - the first benificiaries of his Six Bags charity drive, which will see him raise money for good causes by auctioning off his golf bag at six events, culminating at the Masters. Picture Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ieMatchplay. It’s a golfing fruit machine, a one-armed bandit ready to throw up myriad permutations and send the greatest player on the planet fumbling for another coin while the relative poor relation cashes in.
