Stuttering start for McIlroy

Rory McIlroy’s hopes of getting his Volvo World Match Play challenge back on track suffered an early blow in Spain today.

After losing his opening group game to Masters champion Angel Cabrera the 20-year-old faced stablemate Simon Dyson, who took the lead with a birdie at the long third.

Dyson had beaten Henrik Stenson on the first day at Finca Cortesin, but the Swede hit back by establishing a three-hole lead over Cabrera after only four holes.

Cabrera bogeyed the second and then Stenson, back from a six-week lay-off, eagled the next and birdied the fourth.

Only the group winners progress to the semi-finals and Lee Westwood’s unexpected six-hole defeat to Indian Jeev Milkha Singh meant he could not afford any more slip-ups.

Westwood took on compatriot Ross Fisher and after falling behind to an opening birdie the Worksop golfer replied in kind on the next and shared the third in birdies.

Half the field sat out the morning after playing two games yesterday, but three of the eight – top seed Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer – were already out of the title race.

American Anthony Kim was a strong favourite to progress from Group A, while Oliver Wilson’s two wins in Group B meant he needed to halve with Australian Robert Allenby to go through.

McIlroy levelled with a birdie on the 334-yard fourth, only for Dyson to make four on the 575-yard fifth and go in front again.

Westwood rattled off three birdies in a row from the second and with Fisher able to match him only on the long third the Order of Merit leader stood one-up.

Cabrera cut his deficit to two when he birdied the fifth, while in the other morning game Singh and Colombian Camilo Villegas, beaten by Fisher in his first match, shared the opening three holes.