Shock early defeat for McIlroy at WGC Match Play

World No 2 Rory McIlroy faces an uphill battle to regain the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play title after losing to Soren Kjeldsen in their opening group match in Austin yesterday.

McIlroy looked to be on course for victory when he overturned a two-hole deficit with three birdies in a row from the 11th, only for Kjeldsen to birdie the next four holes to complete a superb 2&1 success.

And the bad news for pretournament favourite McIlroy was that only one player who lost their first game 12 months ago – current world number one Dustin Johnson – went on to reach the last 16.

In a high-quality contest, Kjeldsen, who had never previously won a match in the tournament, closed out the win with brilliant approaches to the 16th and 17th to leave McIlroy needing two wins – and help from elsewhere – to avoid a shock early exit.

In the other match in McIlroy’s group, the man he beat in the 2015 final, American Gary Woodland, defeated Emiliano Grillo 3&2.

South Africa’s Branden Grace had claimed the first win on day one by beating England’s Andy Sullivan 4&2, with former Masters champion Charl Schwartzel thrashing Ben An 6&5.

Group matches are also played today and tomorrow, with the winner of each group advancing to the last 16 on Saturday morning.

The quarter-finals take place on Saturday afternoon, with the semi-finals and final held on Sunday.