HUNGRY TRIO ARE UP FOR A MATCH
DARREN Clarke, Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell have all been kept apart in the draw for the opening rounds of the Accenture match-play event, which gets under way in Arizona tomorrow.
The earliest any of Ulster’s three major champions can meet is at the semi-final stage but given the vagaries of match-play, that’s by no means a done deal.
McDowell has been drawn against Korean YE Yang, in the opening round. The Korean knocked GMAC out at the last 16 stage last year, and the 2010 US Open champion is determined not to slip up again,
“This is a good draw for me. When you have a field of the top 64 golfers in the world there is never such a thing as an easy draw,” said McDowell.
“Every opponent you face is going to be a top player so it’s just a matter of who grinds the match out better on the day.
“Yang is a top, top player and this is certainly a tough opener for me but I look at it as a good draw. Not that I needed added focus for any match I play in this format but I think it’s fair to say I have some unfinished business to take care of from last year.”
Victory over the Korean will put McDowell on collision course with either Zach Johnson or Hunter Mahan, the player he beat to win the Ryder Cup for Europe in 2010.
“Like I’ve said before, this can be such a great week, but can also be a really disappointing one,” added GMAC.
Rory McIlroy will face South African George Coetzee in round one.
“I’m looking forward to it,” said Rory who began his season by finishing second in Abu Dhabi and fifth in and Dubai.
“The Match Play is a nice event and a really nice course. I haven’t played that well there the last couple of years, so it will be nice to go and get a run in that.
“Playing the desert courses should help. It gets cold in the mornings in Arizona so the ball doesn’t go quite that far but it can go a long way when it warms up. I got on a nice run there in 2009, the year Ogilvy won it, and it will be a nice change to match play because we don’t get to play it that much.”
McIlroy has been trying to bed in a couple of minor swing changes and while he feels that it may take a few more weeks to get comfortable, he’s confident he can compete.
“I feel like I have taken big strides this year in my game and in the way I am swinging the club and in my consistency as well,” he said.
“So I’ve had a second and now a fifth. And even if you don’t have great weeks, but then you still managed top-fives, that’s not a bad thing.”
In contrast to Rory, Darren Clarke, is still searching for some decent form and made the decision to fly out to the tournament venue, the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain last Friday to get ‘acclimatised’.
Clarke has a superb match-play record and actually won this event in 2000, beating Tiger Woods in the process. If he can get past American Nick Watney tomorrow, he could well come face to face with the former world number one, that is if Woods can beat Gonzalo Fdez-Castano.
“I’ve never played the course at Dove Mountain before – but I have to say it does look absolutely stunning,” said Clarke prior to departure.
“Wobbly [Clarke’s new caddy Phil Morbey] is coming out early with me and I’m also spending some time with Dr Bob Rotella, who has kindly changed his schedule so we can fit in some work together.”
“Hopefully all the work that I’m putting in on my golf and all other aspects of my game will turn things around and I’ll be back up there in contention sooner rather than later. Patience is the key - which I don’t have an awful lot of – but I’m doing all the right things!”
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Weather for Belfast
Tuesday 29 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 13 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South west
