By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent MARANA, Ariz. --
Hunter Mahan must be a morning person. He and Mark Wilson teed off
at 7:05 a.m. and Mahan immediately took the lead winning the first
two holes with a par and a birdie. It was a lead he would never
relinquish.
Slow Start: Mark Wilson could never even his match with
Mahan after hitting two uncharacteristic shots on the first two
holes. Wilson missed a three-foot par putt at the first and then
could not get a wedge to spin at the par-5 second hole. He lost
both holes to Mahan and never drew even.
Fore Right: Hunter Mahan played great golf in his semifinal
but had one bad shot. It came at the 5th hole when he shanked his
second shot onto the 6th tee. Mahan hit a great wedge and made par
but it wasn't enough as Wilson rolled home a birdie to win the
hole.
Turning Point: Mark Wilson had a chance to square his match
with Mahan. He had makeable birdie putts at both the 13th and 14th
holes but could not roll it into the cup. Mahan then birdied the
15th and closed out the match 2 and 1 on the 17th. Muscle Man: Lee
Westwood showed off his new physique with a couple huge drives on
the 10th and 11th holes. A drive of 391 yards on the 10th and 350
yards at the 11th. Two shots covering 741 yards for the Englishman.
Putt It Out: Few putts were conceded by Lee Westwood and
Rory McIlroy in their semifinal matchup. At the 5th green, McIlroy
had two-foot putt to win the hole but it was not conceded. McIlroy
took not time in slamming it into the back of the cup. From that
point forward, everything was putted out.
Fortunate Bounce: Lee Westwood looked to be in good shape on
the 11th hole when Rory McIlroy sent his second shot toward the
desert. The ball hit the cart path to the right of the green and
instead of bouncing into the desert, it bounded toward the green
leading to birdie. The 11th was halved but McIlroy clearly had the
momentum from that point forward.
Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio
and is inside the ropes this week at the World Golf
Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. For more
information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.