MARANA, Ariz. ?The final day of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship is under way at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain. GolfChannel.com senior writer Rex Hoggard is on site with a running blog of the semifinal- and final-round action. (Click for Scoring)
All times ET
12:10 p.m.: Lee Westwood뭩 drive at the par-5 13th hole sails into the gallery left of the fairway and into the sweater of a spectator, which prompted a moment of levity when the Englishman뭩 caddie asked the woman, 밯ould you mind walking 250 yards forward??
Unfortunately for Westwood he made par to lose the hole and drop to 3 down in his semifinal match against Rory McIlroy.
11:57 a.m.: Since playing his first five holes in 1 over, Rory McIlroy is 5 under over his last seven holes to move 2 up on Lee Westwood after 12 holes. In order he뭩 holed putts of 24 feet (No. 12), 2 feet (No. 11), 7 feet (No. 9), 14 feet (No. 8) and 28 feet (No. 6).
11:54 a.m.: Back-to-back birdies for Mark Wilson at Nos. 10 and 11 to keep pace with Hunter Mahan at Dove Mountain and remain 2 down, but par at the 12th is good for a win to cut the lead to 1 down. Go figure.
11:48 a.m.: Rory McIlroy ricochet his second shot at the par-5 11th hole through the desert and was fortunate to make birdie from right of the green to keep his 1-up lead on Lee Westwood.
On Saturday McIlroy said the key to his 3-and-2 victory over Sang-Moon Bae was his performance on the par 5s, which he played in 3 under for the match. The Ulsterman is 2 under on Dove Mountain뭩 par 5s on Sunday.
11:38 a.m.: Rory McIlroy has birdied three of his last five holes and moved 1 up on Lee Westwood after falling 3 down early in the match. The most McIlroy trailed all week before Sunday was one hole on Wednesday against George Coetzee, whom he beat, 2 up.
11:33 a.m.: A lot of talk about the World Golf Ranking implications if either Lee Westwood or Rory McIlroy win this week뭩 WGC-Accenture Match Play. Either player would overtake Luke Donald for the top spot with a victory, but it뭩 also worth noting that Hunter Mahan, who is 2 up on Mark Wilson through 11 holes in the semifinals, could move into the top 10 with a victory and Wilson would move into the top 15 if he were to claim his first WGC.
11:06 a.m.: Following Saturday뭩 blowouts Sunday뭩 semifinals are shaping up to be shootouts by comparison.
Hunter Mahan made the turn 2 up against Mark Wilson while Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy are all square following a birdie at the eighth by the Ulsterman. Saturday뭩 quarterfinals marked the first time in 14 years not a single match made it to the 18th green.
10:35 a.m.: Unlike most average golfers Hunter Mahan is not haunted by the shank at the fifth, going 2 up on Mark Wilson with a routine par at the seventh hole. In the anchor semifinal match, McIlroy wins his second consecutive hole, and makes his first birdie of the day, at the sixth and moves to 1 down against Lee Westwood.
10:30 a.m.: Lee Westwood lips out a 10=footer for par at the fifth hole to move to 2 up on Rory McIlroy. The Ulsterman had not trailed since the 11th hole on Wednesday but fell behind Westwood at the second and slipped further back with a bogey at the third hole.
10:10 a.m.: It뭩 not the first time a professional has hit a shank, but it may be the most high-profile occurrence considering Hunter Mahan뭩 reputation as one of the game뭩 preeminent ball-strikers.
From the middle of the fifth fairway with a 2-up lead over Mark Wilson, Mahan뭩 approach shot from 131 yards darted 60 degrees to the right and onto the sixth tee box. He failed to get up and down for par and lost the hole.
9:58 a.m.: Hunter Mahan goes 2 up on Mark Wilson with a birdie at the fourth hole. The two have not halved a hole yet, with Mahan winning Nos. 1, 2 and 3 but dropping the third with a bogey.
9:50 a.m.: Lee Westwood birdies the second to go 1 up against Rory McIlroy. For the second consecutive year the world뭩 No. 1 ranking comes down to the semifinal match at Dove Mountain.
Last year Martin Kaymer needed only to advance to the final to take the top spot, while Westwood and McIlroy need to win this week to unseat Luke Donald. But before they can think about that they need to survive this morning뭩 semifinal.
9:34 a.m.: Eventful first hole for both semifinal matches. Hunter Mahan went 1 up when Mark Wilson opened with a bogey and Lee Westwood missed a 12-footer to trade pars with Rory McIlroy.
9:25 a.m.: Tough to question the new format at the WGC-Match Play, but today's semifinal match between Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood could be the week's most compelling bout yet there are no more than 50 fans waiting along the first fairway to watch the action.
In past years the quarterfinals and semifinals were played on Saturday, leaving the finale for Sunday.
9:05 a.m.: Today뭩 two semifinal matches may be too close to call, but for betting purposes GTC may have an advantage
At a local grill not far from Dove Mountain GTC spotted Mark Wilson and his caddie having dinner Saturday. After the two left, Lee Westwood and his entourage were seated at the same booth. Tough to ignore an omen like that.
Rory McIlroy, however, receives style points for his dining choice. The Ulsterman went to Lil Abner뭩 Steakhouse, a Tucson landmark and one of the best BBQ stops on the PGA Tour.