McIlroy in quarter-final fight

Rory McIlroy had a fight on his hands at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club today as the last eight players left in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship began their bids to reach this evening’s semi-finals.

The Irish teenager and Australian Geoff Ogilvy were first out on the day, with world number eight Ogilvy representing McIlroy's first encounter this week with a top-10 player, having previously knocked out Louis Oosthuizen, Hunter Mahan and Tim Clark in his professional debut on American soil.

McIlroy, 19, started in ideal fashion with a birdie at the second to go one up but Ogilvy, the 2006 winner and 2007 runner-up, was soon back in business.

The Australian out-drove his younger rival at the par-four fourth and his second shot from 35 yards settled within four feet of the hole.

McIlroy was also on in two but three-putted for bogey as Ogilvy sank his birdie putt to bring the match all square.

It was a similar story at the par-four fifth as McIlroy two-putted for par and Ogilvy birdied to go one up.

McIlroy got back to all square when Ogilvy bogeyed the par-four ninth hole. But the teenager was in trouble at the 11th when he had to take a drop on the way to a bogey six - while the former champion birdied.

There was more woe at the 12th when McIlroy missed a birdie putt from 26 feet, but Ogilvy sunk his from 15 feet to go two up.

McIlroy, however, bounced back with a birdie at the 13th to win the hole and reduce the deficit to one.

England’s Paul Casey was meanwhile steaming ahead against American Sean O’Hair – six up in 10 holes, after O’Hair posted his fifth bogey of the round at the seventh and then double-bogeyed the 10th.

Stewart Cink was one up on Ernie Els after 10 holes – while Ross Fisher was back on level terms with Justin Leonard at the turn, having won the seventh. Both men went out in four-under-par 32.