McIlroy bows out

Rory McIlroy’s bid for glory in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship came to an end at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club today.

McIlroy, in his first tournament as a professional in the United States, could not continue his excellent form, the 19-year-old falling to Australia’s Geoff Ogilvy 2&1 in a tight first match of the day.

“Geoff played incredibly well and I needed to get birdies but it just wasn’t enough in the end,” McIlroy said.

“But I can take a lot out of this week. I played well and I’ve held my own against some of the best players in the world so it’s been good.”

World number eight Ogilvy was the Irish teenager’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 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, winning the fourth hole as his younger rival three-putted for bogey.

It was a similar story at the par-four fifth as McIlroy, having produced the longest drive of the week with a 388-yard tee shot, two-putted for par and Ogilvy birdied to go one up.

It was nip and tuck until the 11th when McIlroy found the desert off the tee and had to take a drop on the way to a bogey six while the former champion birdied. Then he went two down at the 12th before bouncing back with a birdie at the 13th to win the hole and reduce the deficit to one hole.

McIlroy was fighting tooth and nail to stay alive in his match and holed a crucial 12-foot birdie putt at the par-three 16th to halve the hole and extend his match to the 17th.

He produced some brilliant match-play golf with his second shot, following Ogilvy’s approach to 14 feet past the hole from 199 yards by leaving his ball just nine feet short from 155 yards.

Ogilvy, though, was still in control and when he sank his putt the match was over.

The Australian will next face Stewart Cink, the American having defeated Ernie Els 2&1.

Paul Casey and Ross Fisher meanwhile ensured the second semi-final was to be an all-English affair following Casey’s 4&3 win over American Sean O’Hair at the desert course near Tucson and Fisher’s 2&1 victory over US Ryder Cup hero Justin Leonard.