The Daily Wrap-up, Round 3: Accenture Match Play

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After losing in the first round each of the last four years, Ernie Els is on to the quarterfinals of the Accenture Match Play.

Feb. 27, 2009

MARANA, Ariz. (AP) -- Teenage sensation Rory McIlroy did his part to put some excitement back into the World-Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, advancing to the quarterfinals by crushing the player who knocked out Tiger Woods.

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Fisher's long birdie
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The same could not be said for Phil Mickelson, who failed to reach the weekend for the fifth straight year.

McIlroy, the 19-year-old from Northern Ireland who keeps adding credentials to be the next young star, built a 4-up lead after six holes and never gave Tim Clark of South Africa a chance to catch up in a 4-and-3 victory Friday.

He is three matches away from becoming the youngest winner in the history of American professional golf.

"Tim didn't play his best golf today -- understandably," McIlroy said. "He was probably a little flat after all that happened yesterday. And I came out and got off to quite a fast start."

One day after Clark was practically flawless in sending Woods home early from Dove Mountain, hardly anything went right. It was the third straight time that a player who beat Woods in this tournament lost in the next round.

"It's a big deal coming out today, but it's tough to feel the same, and it's tough to maybe get focused," Clark said. "You go around with him and it's tough to come out the next day and get into the battle again."

The atmosphere was far more subdued than earlier in the week, when Woods made his heralded return to golf from knee surgery after an eight-month absence, only to last two rounds before Clark beat him.

The gallery spread itself among the eight matches, and there were some entertaining ones, for sure.

• To read the remainder of this story, click here.

MCILROY BALANCING GROWING TALENT WITH GROWING UP
By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM Chief of Correspondents

MARANA, Ariz. -- Rory McIlroy keeps all of his signed golf balls, the ones he got from Colin Montgomerie, Sam Torrance and Mark O'Meara, among others, tucked safely in a drawer in his bedroom.

He has a 2002 Masters flag signed by his idol Tiger Woods and Nick Faldo's autograph on one from the 2005 Open Championship at St. Andrews. There are many others hanging around his house in Holywood, a Belfast suburb, too.

In so many ways, this apple-cheeked 19-year-old with abundant brown curls peaking out from under his cap seems like any other teen. He follows Manchester United and likes music, movies and driving his souped-up Audi -- although not necessarily in that order.

McIlroy even planned to stay up late Thursday night in his Arizona hotel so he could call his girlfriend before she went off to high school back home in Northern Ireland.

On the golf course, though, this man-child, already a winner on the European Tour, can hold his own with the big boys -- as McIlroy has done this week at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.

• To read the remainder of this story, click here.

SHOT OF THE DAY	ROUND OF THE DAY
Ross Fisher drained a long birdie putt on the par-3 12th hole to take a 3 up lead on Jim Furyk before eventually going on to win. Watch his shot	Rory McIlroy played a bogey-free round and added five birdies in a 4 and 3 win over Tim Clark. Check out his scorecard

QUOTE OF THE DAY

"It's important to hit the ball from the fairway here. The rough's not real deep, but it's hard to control the ball. That's what you have to be doing going into these greens is controlling the ball." -- Justin Leonard on why distance off the tee isn't as important as accuracy this week.

THIRD-ROUND MATCH REPORTS
By PGATOUR.COM Staff

Here's a quick look at each match in Friday's third round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Click here for the updated bracket.

Third-round match reports

Players	Score	Bracket
STEWART CINK, USA def. PHIL MICKELSON, USA	1 up	Hogan
It wasn't pretty down the stretch, but Cink hung on to beat Mickelson in a battle of veteran American Ryder Cuppers. After taking a 1 up lead when Mickelson conceded the 15th hole, Cink bogeyed the next two holes. But that second bogey came while Mickelson was double-bogeying the 17th, giving Cink the lead again going into the 18th, which both players parred. "It was a case of who doesn't want to win this match or who does," Cink said. "And we took a long time to figure that one out." Cink started off hot with consecutive birdies at Nos. 2-4, putting him 3 up. But Mickelson battled back, and the match was finally squared when Cink bogeyed the 12th. "I don't know what to say because I hit it better today than I did the first two matches," Mickelson said, "but I didn't get the ball in the hole as well." Next match for Cink: Ernie Els
RORY McILROY, Northern Ireland def. TIM CLARK, South Africa	4 and 3	Jones
The 19-year-old McIlroy continues to impress in the desert, downing Tiger-beater Clark. McIlroy was virtually flawless on Friday, with five birdies and no bogeys in the 15 holes of the match. He was 4 up through six and never allowed Clark to make any kind of a rally. In his last 23 holes at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, McIlroy is a bogey-free 9 under. "I think I've always been quite a good ball-striker and it's good for match play," McIlroy said. "You give yourself lots of chances and a lot of opportunities to win the holes. And I've been able to do that this week." For Clark, it was a deflating loss after his second-round high of upsetting Tiger Woods. "I just felt a little bit flat," Clark said. "Rory played really well. He's obviously a tremendous talent and I was very impressed with his game." Next match for McIlroy: Geoff Ogilvy
ROSS FISHER, England def. JIM FURYK, USA	5 and 4	Snead
Fisher, a two-time winner on the European Tour, continued his somewhat surprising roll in his Accenture Match Play Championship debut. The 28-year-old Brit applied the pressure from the outset and Furyk won only two holes all day. Fisher, meanwhile, made seven birdies and just one bogey in the decisive win that saw him make the turn 3 up. Furyk's two wins came at the two back-nine par 5s, each time to narrow the gap to 2 down. But Fisher closed out the match out with two 5-footers for birdie at Nos. 14 and 15. "My game's been in really, really good shape this week," Fisher said. "I feel like the course suits me very, very well. I just knew I had to come out and play some solid golf." Next match for Fisher: Justin Leonard
SEAN O'HAIR, USA def. IAN POULTER, England	2 and 1	Player
Poulter has been on a match-play roll ever since his impressive performance at Valhalla in last year's Ryder Cup. But O'Hair overcame a poor start to defeat the Englishman and advance to the quarterfinals in just his second Accenture Match Play start. O'Hair bogeyed two of the first three holes and was 2 down until a birdie at the sixth got him back on track. Another birdie at the eighth squared the match, then birdies at holes 12, 13 and 15 put him 3 up. He gave one back with a bogey at the 16th, but by then Poulter was running out of holes. Next match for O'Hair: Paul Casey

• To read the remainder of the match reports, click here.

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INSIDE THE ROPES WITH THE PGA TOUR NETWORK
PGA TOUR Network correspondent Fred Albers offers these observations from Friday's action. Listen to PGA TOUR Live coverage on XM 146/SIRIUS 209 or right here at PGATOUR.COM.

Rory McIlroy is only 19 years old, but he is precocious and gracious beyond his years. Tim Clark was in the midst of a difficult day, trailing 4 down in his match on the 14th green. Clark missed a 5-foot birdie putt to win the hole and was suddenly faced with a 3-foot downhill putt to save par and stave off elimination. McIlroy would have nothing of it. He immediately conceded the put and walked to the 15th tee, saying it would not be right to end a well-played match in such a manner. McIlroy ended up winning on the next green, 4 and 3.

Geoff Ogilvy has one of the more rhythmic swings on TOUR, but it all starts with his walk. He purposely walks with a measured gate, trying to slow everything down, starting from the tee to the fairway. Ogilvy reasons things happen quickly in match play and there is no reason to rush. That logic has him in the quarterfinals.

Sean O'Hair is the highest seed remaining in the tournament at No. 12, but couldn't care less. "Everyone in this tournament can win and that started with the field of 64," says O'Hair. "If you are playing in the final 8, you are playing well enough to win."

Bracket

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