McIlroy and Westwood set for top spot battle
McIlroy, who chipped in at the 14th to go three up against Dane Anders Hansen, sealed his passage to the last 16, winning 3/2.
Westwood, the 38-year old from Worksop, had failed in his previous 11 appearances to get past the second round but he showed some ominous form in the desert with a 3 and 2 win over Swede Robert Karlsson.
McIlroy and Westwood are now on a semi-final collision course.
Westwood, six under par in defeating Nicolas Colsaerts, won four of the first six holes, but had to go far further than seemed likely when he moved five clear at the 10th.
Without a bogey in his first 27 holes, the Worksop golfer suddenly made a mess of the long 11th and then saw the Ryder Cup Swede chip in for eagle at the 583-yard 13th.
Westwood was in the desert scrub again off the tee at the driveable 15th and Karlsson did not even have to putt to be only two down.
But a par on the short next was good enough when Karlsson failed to get up and down from sand.
Westwood will now meet Nick Watney, who beat Tiger Woods one up, for a place in the quarter-finals.
An American hasn’t won the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship since 2008 when Woods crushed Stewart Cink 8 and 7.
But the home brigade were firing on all cylinders last night with many of their new stars blasting their way into the last 16 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club.
Dustin Johnson led the way on another scorching day in the desert with a blistering 7 and 5 demolition of Italian Francesco Molinari.
The world No 10 had seven birdies in red-hot display to cruise to a third round meeting with compatriot Mark Wilson, who ended Robert Rock’s dream run of form with a 3 and 2 victory.
YE Yang, who saw off Graeme McDowell on Wednesday for the second year running, was hammered 5 and 3 by Hunter Mahan, the player who ended up in tears at the Ryder Cup in Wales after fluffing a chip against the Portrush man in that crucial final day singles that decided the match in favour of Europe.
Mahan lost the first hole to a par but then played the next seven in six under par to go four up and never looked like losing.
Matt Kuchar beat Bubba Watson 3 and 2 while world number five Steve Stricker will face Mahan in the last 16 after he birdied the last from 20 feet to see off Louis Oosthuizen one up.
Former Open winner Paul Lawrie held off Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa one up to set up a battle for a quarter-final place with Glasgow’s Martin Laird.
Bidding for a place in Jose Maria Olazabal’s Ryder Cup side, Laird needed all his firepower to see off Italian teenager Matteo Manassero 2 and 1.
“It was a hell of a game,” said Laird who is 41st in the European Ryder Cup World Points list. “It’s about as good as I played in a while there. I needed all of it today to beat Matteo.
“He’s one of those guys in match play that just never goes away, and that’s a compliment.
“It doesn’t matter how far ahead you think you’re going to get. He just always make a long putt or chip it close or manage something.”
Lawrie, who is inside the ten automatic qualifiers for Olazabal’s side following his win in Qatar last month, is seeking a return to the European side for the first time since that fateful defeat at Brookline in 1999.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he said of his clash with Laird.
Second round: YE Yang (Kor) lost to H Mahan 5 & 3; D Johnson bt F Molinari (Ita) 7 & 5; R Rock (Eng) lost to M Wilson 3 & 2; S Stricker bt L Oosthuizen (Rsa) 1 up; R Ishikawa (Jpn) lost to P Lawrie (Sco) 1 down; M Manassero (Ita) lost to M Laird (Sco) 2 & 1; J Day (Aus) lost to J Senden (Aus) 6 & 5; M Kuchar bt Bubba Watson 3 & 2; E Els (Rsa) lost to P Hanson (Swe) 5 & 4; L Westwood (Eng) bt R Karlsson (Swe) 3 & 2.
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