McDowell snakes past Wood in impressive opener

Graeme McDowell brushed aside his rival and a venomous viper to secure the biggest victory on the opening day of the Volvo World Match-Play Championship in Bulgaria.

McDowell was never headed in his match against England’s Chris Wood, cutting Europe’s tallest golfer down to size with a 5&3 thrashing in the €3m event on the spectacular Thracian Cliffs Golf and Beach Resort course.

The current World No 8 and highest ranked played competing along the Black Sea shoreline had missed a short putt to claim the first, but made amends by winning with a par at the second.