Mahan blocks Mcilroy’s ascent
Accenture win denies foe No. 1
MARANA, Ariz. — With Hunter Mahan heated up by a new putter named after a city in Alaska, his game was anything but frigid en route to winning the World Golf Championships-accenture Match Play Championship.
With his Ping “Nome” putter working from the first hole of his first match Wednesday, Mahan, 29, was brilliant in this desert oasis, punctuating his play with a 2-and-1 win against Rory Mcilroy in Sunday’s final at the Ritz-carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain. Entering the final, Mahan, who defeated Mark Wilson 2 and 1 in a semifinal Sunday morning, had not trailed since the third hole of his second-round match against Y.E. Yang on Thursday.
He also never trailed in the final. After he and Mcilroy traded bogeys on the first and fourth holes and birdies on the second and third holes, Mahan assumed control with three consecutive hole wins starting at the sixth. A birdie at No. 10 increased his lead to 4 up, a disadvantage Mcilroy couldn’t overcome even with an eagle at 11 and birdies at 13, 14 and 15. That mostly was because Mahan made birdies on 13 and 15 — his 34th and 35th of the week in the 96 holes he needed to win six matches.
“I felt great with my game, and I made the putter switch and felt great on the greens immediately,” said Mahan, who moved to No. 9 in the world rankings — the first time he’s cracked the top 10 — and became the first American to win Accenture since Tiger Woods in 2008. “Rory’s the best player in the world right now. I knew he’d make a charge on the back nine, and he did, and I’m proud of myself for holding on.”
Mcilroy, who moved to No. 2 in the world, would have supplanted No. 1 Luke Donald with a victory. Mcilroy spent a lot of his powder in his semifinal showdown against Ryder Cup teammate Lee Westwood, who also would have become No. 1 if he had won the tournament. With the intensity at its highest, Mcilroy stormed back from 3 down after four holes and made seven birdies in a 10-hole stretch to pull out a 3-and-1 win over Westwood, who made four birdies and an eagle in their match.
In the final, Mcilroy looked a bit deflated after missing a 4-foot par putt for the win on the first hole, but he said the key was holes 6, 7 and 8, where a par, a bogey and a doublebogey sent him tumbling.
“No disrespect to the other players in the semis, but it was like my final,” Mcilroy, 22, said of the match vs. Westwood. “That was the match I wanted all week. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that Hunter played solid golf. And through the course of the week, he played the best and deserved to win.”
In addition to the putter change, an attitude adjustment spurred Mahan, who joined Woods (16), Geoff Ogilvy (3), Ernie Els (2), Phil Mickelson (2) and Darren Clarke (2) as the only multiple winners of WGC events. Mahan also won $1.4 million and earned his fourth PGA Tour win.
“If I wanted to be the player that I felt like I could be, I was going to have to change,” Mahan said. “I didn’t want to have my identity stuck with my golf score. They needed to be separated, and I needed to play golf because I enjoyed it and accept the result and move on and not get attached to it.”
Extra motivation helped in the final, too. Inspired by hearing broadcasters pick Mcilroy in the final, Mahan went to the first tee with a chip on his shoulder.
“I’d be lying to you if there wasn’t (extra motivation). There really was. Deep down you wanted to postpone that crowning of the No. 1 player in the world for Rory,” Mahan said, laughing. “He’ll get there. I mean, he’s phenomenal. He’s really talented. He’ll be No. 1 eventually. I’m not worried about it; I’m sure he’s not. And all the broadcasters were picking Rory.”