Rory McIlroy continued his dream American debut when he booked a place in the quarterfinals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Arizona.
The Northern Ireland teenager, in his first start as a professional in the United States, made it three wins in as many days as he reached the last eight with a 4&3 victory over Tim Clark of South Africa. Clark cut short Tiger Woods’ comeback from an eight-month injury lay-off with a 4&2 victory over the world number one at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club on Thursday — but that victory clearly took its toll and McIlroy capitalized to the full. The 19-year-old jumped into a lead at the opening hole as Clark bogeyed the par-four first and he stretched his lead with a birdie four at the second to go two up. McIlroy quickly established a stranglehold by going four up after six holes before Clark won his first hole at the seventh. The Dubai Desert Classic winner hit straight back with a birdie at the eighth to regain his four-up lead and maintained it to claim victory at the 15th. Meanwhile, England’s Ross Fisher booked his place with a 4&3 victory over American Jim Furyk. A day after crushing Pat Perez 6&5 in the second round, Fisher — one of five Englishmen in the last 16 — went one up at the par-three third, which he parred but Furyk bogeyed, and then birdied the par-four fourth to take a two-up lead.
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He was three up at the turn before Furyk rallied by winning the 11th hole when Fisher found a bunker. The European Tour player restored his three-up lead at the 12th, however, when he holed a 52-foot putt. The match was turning into a see-saw affair, with Furyk winning the 13th, but Fisher moved up another gear and won two holes in a row to seal victory at the 15th. However, there was a setback for Englishman Luke Donald, who conceded his match with Ernie Els on the 18th fairway after complaining of weakness in his left wrist — the same joint that required surgery last year and caused him to miss the latter half of last season. The concession came with Donald still in with a chance of taking his match to extra holes, trailing one down at the last, but Donald called it quits in order to prevent further damage, handing the South African victory.
