Graeme McDowell and fellow ‘Miracle at Medinah’ team mate Sergio Garcia got out of jail in Tuscon to get through to the second round of the WGC – Accenture Match-Play Championship.
The European born duo looked headed for a first round exit in the $9m event before fighting back to end the matches ‘all square’ and then claim victory after extra holes.
McDowell, who is the reigning Volvo World Match-Play champion, was 3 down after losing the opening three holes and then 4 down after seven before winning the ninth and 11th holes to be 2 down.
Graeme McDowell gets out of jail in Tuscon. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
Woodland won the 15th to go back to 3 up but McDowell dug deep to win the next three holes and get back to all square on the 18th green.
McDowell then birdied the 19th to defeat Woodland 1 up.
Garcia was up against Australia’s Marc Leishman.
Leishman quickly seized the initiative to be 2 up after three holes before the Spaniard got back to all square at 11 and then went 1 up in winning the 12th.
However Leishman was not to be denied winning 14 and 15 before Garcia again got their match back to all square at 17th.
Garcia, who ended 2013 with victory in Thailand and then commenced 2014 with a win in Qatar, sealed success at the 22nd hole.
The biggest surprise on day one was the defeat of England’s Ian Poulter and winner of the event in 2010.
Poulter suffered his third first round exit in four years losing 2 & 1 to American Rickie Fowler, who led from the fourth hole onwards and will now face compatriot Jimmy Walker in the second round.
Walker, who has already won three times in the 2014 PGA Tour season, secured the first victory of the day with a comfortable 5 and 4 win over South African Branden Grace.
Finland’s Mikko Ilonen had looked like creating a shock when he led Bubba Watson by two holes with six to play, but lost the next three holes and Watson – who claimed his first win since the 2012 Masters in the Northern Trust Open on Sunday – sealed a 2 and 1 win on the 17th.
Defending champion Matt Kuchar also advanced to the second round, but only after having to win his match with Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger twice.
Kuchar thought he had sealed a 5 and 4 win on the 14th, but had failed to move his ball marker back to its correct position before holing his birdie putt. That cost him the hole and meant the match continued, but the World Number Ten still had a three-hole cushion and eventually won 3 and 2.
There was better news elsewhere for two more of the 25-strong European contingent, with Peter Hanson beating Dustin Johnson 4 and 3 – the World Number Eight’s fifth first round loss in six years – to set up a meeting with France’s Victor Dubuisson, who saw off Kevin Streelman 5 and 4.
Sweden’s Jonas Blixt moved into the last 32 with a 2 and 1 win over former US PGA Champion Keegan Bradley and South African George Coetzee saw off Steve Stricker 3 and 1. Stricker’s participation in the event had been in serious doubt until his brother underwent a successful liver transplant at the weekend.
The biggest margin of victory so far belonged to American Billy Horschel, who overcame Welshman Jamie Donaldson 6 and 5, while Bill Haas beat Miguel Angel Jimenez 5 and 4.
