With the cheeky suggestion Rory McIlroy lost his second round match on purpose the all-Ireland duo of McIlroy and Graeme McDowell face each other for the first time in the professional career.
McDowell’s labelled Saturday’s showdown with his good friend as the ‘Northern Ireland Match-Play Championship’.
Graeme McDowell on route to victory over Jhonattan Vegas and a Saturday morning match against good friend, Rory McIlroy. (Pic - Thanks to Volvo Golf)
The tantalising McDowell and McIlroy encounter was brought forward after McIlroy’s shock loss to Belgium’s in-form Nicolas Colsaerts on day two of the Volvo World Match-Play Championship at Finca Corstein in Spain.
McIlroy was never ahead in his second round match against last month’s Volvo China Open champion losing two the opening three holes.
McIlroy won the fifth but the writing was very much on the wall for McIlroy when Colsaerts won three holes in succession from the sixth to go 4up.
The 22-year old did win the ninth but the Belgium stayed in the driving seat winning the 11th to again get back to 4up, and while McIlroy pulled one back at the next, four pars in a row from both saw Colsearts clinch a 3 & 2 success.
McDowell won a nip-and-tuck encounter with Venezuelan Jhonattan Vegas 1up with Vegas only in front with a birdie at the second hole.
The current World No. 5 ranked McDowell had been 3 up through eight holes but Vegas then won the 11th, lost the 13th but then won the 14th and 16th holes.
Both players pared 17 with McDowell clinching victory despite both he and Vegas birding the last.
McDowell joined the game’s top-three ranked players in Lee Westwood, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer as being undefeated in the round robin matches.
McIroy finished second in his group to Colsaerts to set up Saturday’s ‘G-Mac’ versus ‘Wee Mac’ showdown in the Euro 3.4m event.
”I think Rory lost on purpose because we joked about it on the range before we went out this afternoon,” said McDowell laughing.
“We said, let’s both try and win so we can see each other tomorrow afternoon ‑‑ or both lose. That would be easier to control.
“It didn’t quite go to plan but then I kept up my side of the bargain, and Rory didn’t keep his.
“But this will be the first time Rory and I will have had any sort of head-to-head encounter in an event.
“Every time we play together in practice rounds he beats me. He beats the crap out of me, and I’m sure he’ll be expecting to beat me in the morning.
“But this will be first time we have played really under the gun, so I’m looking forward to it, and it should be an exciting game.
“It’s going to be definitely be the ‘Northern Ireland Match-Play Championship’ tomorrow morning, and, of course, I’ll be trying my best to beat him.”
Whether McIlroy won or lost to Colsaerts, he knew he would be facing the current U.S. Open champion.
“I was either going to face G Mac tomorrow morning or tomorrow afternoon, if it worked out,” said McIlroy.
“He’s a gutty competitor, and he’s not going to give me anything, so it’s going to be a really tough match.
“It would be a great win for me, and I’m really looking forward to it if it happens.”
