If all goes well for World No. 1 Rory McIlroy he will get to wear five different sets of clothing in this week’s WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship.
If so, it will mean McIlroy playing all five days of the $8.75m limited field event, and just as he did last year despite losing the final 2 & 1 to American Hunter Mahan.
However in contrast to 2012, McIlroy arrived at the Dove Mountain Resort course will a suitcase full of attire adorned with the Nike swoosh.
Rory McIlroy with members of the Boys & Girls Club of Tuscon – the second organisation set to benefit from McIlroy’s Six Bags Foundation initiative. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
And after the embarrassment last month in Abu Dhabi nothing would please Nike Golf executives more than to see McIlroy step out onto the Arizona desert course for more than just the two days of competition as had been the scenario in the UAE capital.
“When I was packing my bags the other night, I’m thinking, ‘How many shirts did I bring? How many pairs of pants?’ This is always a fun event,” said McIlroy.
“It’s one of those weeks where you’ve just got to try and get through every round, and you face different opposition every day. I’m looking forward to it. I love the golf course here.
“It’s a great course for match play. You can be really aggressive and make a lot of birdies.”
McIlroy will certainly need to be on his game given he’s facing good friend Shane Lowry tomorrow in the opening round of 32 matches.
Lee Westwood, who did not reach the third round in his first 11 appearances at the event before getting to the semi-finals last year, commented: “There are no weak players in this tournament and no easy matches.
“Very rarely do you get given a win in this format, and that’s the idea for tomorrow, just to try and turn up and play well. Hopefully it’s good enough.
“And hopefully the guy doesn’t blitz it and hole everything and chip in and frustrate you like that. You do need a bit more luck in this event than in other ones.”
Westwood’s first round opponent is Spain’s Rafa Cabrera-Bello.
