Match recaps: First round, Accenture Match Play Champ.

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Tiger Woods, on his shaky result vs. Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano: "I'm very fortunate to move on."
Feb. 22, 2012
By Mike McAllister and Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

MARANA, Ariz. -- The biggest shock of Wednesday's first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship was the loss by defending champ and world No. 1 Luke Donald, who was beaten 5 and 4 by 64th seed Ernie Els.

But that certainly wasn't the only upset -- if there truly are any "upsets" in this event -- at Dove Mountain.

Almost half of Wednesday's 32 matches (15 to be exact) were won by the lower seed. Els was the only 16th seed to win, but two 15th seeds -- Matteo Manassero and Robert Rock -- also advanced. Those 15 upsets are the most since the inaugural Accenture Match Play Championship in 1999.

Meanwhile, fifth-seeded Tiger Woods managed to avoid the upset ... barely. He scraped by against Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano 1 and later said, "I'm very fortunate to move on."

The key is that he is moving on, unlike Donald. In winning last year, Donald never trailed after any hole, but with Wednesday's match all square after seven. He lost four of the next five holes to Els, and never led.

It's only the third time in Accenture Match Play history that the No. 1 overall seed has lost to No. 64. Steve Stricker lost to Ross McGowan in 2010, and Woods lost to Peter O'Malley in 2002.

"I just didn't play very well," Donald said. "I struggled. I gave away too many holes and made too many mistakes. You can't do that in match play against anyone, let alone Ernie."

Said Els: "There's always hype when the No. 1 player is playing with the No. 64 seed. But I think Luke and I took it for what it was, you know. And I think he didn't want to play me and I sure as hell didn't want to play him the first round. But that's the way it worked out. "

The other No. 1 seeds -- Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer and Rory McIlroy -- all advanced. But No. 2 seeds Webb Simpson and Adam Scott were knocked out.

Kyle Stanley and Brandt Snedeker each won their matches and will be face each other in Thursday's second round. The last time they were together, Snedeker won a playoff at the Farmers Insurance Open after Stanley lost a three-shot lead on the 72nd hole.

Bubba Watson and Ben Crane played a bogey-free match, with Watson beating his good friend and fellow "Golf Boy," 3 up. David Toms had eight birdies in knocking off Rickie Fowler 1 up. Robert Karlsson had six birdies in beating fellow Swede Fredrik Jacobson 6 and 5. Lee Westwood had six birdies in a bogey-free 17 holes to beat Nicolas Colsaerts.

But the most impressive round was turned in by Keegan Bradley, who had six birdies and one eagle in a bogey-free 15 holes to beat Geoff Ogilvy 4 up. Ogilvy is a two-time Match Play winner and suffered just his second first-round loss in seven starts.

"I played about as good as I could play," Bradley said. "I didn't miss a fairway or a green. I saw a lot of birdies and that's always tough to beat."

A quick look at each first-round match:

First-round match recaps
Result Score Bracket
ERNIE ELS, S. Africa def. LUKE DONALD, England 5 and 4 Jones
What a difference a year makes. After winning the Accenture Match Play last year without ever trailing at any point, Donald never held the lead against Els and was surprisingly trounced. It's just the third time that the 64th seed has beaten the No. 1 overall seed in this event. Donald conceded the third hole after his tee shot found the water and he struggled to stay in the match. He did square the match with a birdie at the seventh, but Els answered with a birdie at the par-5 8th. Donald then lost three of the next four holes with bogeys, and Els never gave him an opening. Els said the difference was the par 5s -- he won two and halved the other two. "I put pressure on him on the long holes," Els said, "and it worked out." With the loss, Donald's status as the No. 1-ranked golfer in the world could be in danger, depending on what Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy do the rest of this week. Els' next opponent: Peter Hanson winner

TIGER WOODS, USA def. GONZALO FDEZ.-CASTANO, Spain 1 up Snead
It wasn't easy for Woods, a three-time Match Play winner. He found himself down early to the Spaniard, fought back to take the lead, then promptly gave it away during a three-hole stretch in which he suffered two bogeys and a double. But 1-down after 14, Woods drove the green at the par-4 15th for a two-putt birdie, then took the lead at the par-3 16th when Fernandez-Castano found the primary rough and couldn't get up-and-down for par. Woods closed out the match by saving par with a 9-foot putt, feeling more relief than joy at that point. "Neither one of us had our best stuff," Woods said. "It was back and forth. We both made our share of mistakes." Woods said he struggled with judging the distances in the thin air and cool conditions. "I'm very fortunate to move on," he said. Woods' next opponent: Nick Watney

RORY McILROY, N. Ireland def. GEORGE COETZEE, S. Africa 2 up Player
The reigning U.S. Open champ, the top seed in the Player bracket, made it tough on himself. He didn't post a birdie until the 13th hole (although he was conceded the par-5 11th in which he had a good birdie opportunity). After going 3 up, McIlroy then stumbled down the stretch, losing the 16th and 17th holes before Coetzee ran out of steam. "I struggled to finish it off," McIlroy said. "I actually felt like before that I played some great golf." Coetzee had a putt inside five feet for par at the last, but missed it, taking the pressure away from McIlroy's short par putt. "It's not great to see George finish the match off missing that short putt," McIlroy said. "But obviously, I was relieved." McIlroy's next opponent: Anders Hansen

DUSTIN JOHNSON, USA def. JIM FURYK, USA 20 holes Jones
Furyk had control of the match through the first nine holes. He won the first hole with a par, the third when Johnson found the water and the fourth with another par. Johnson did manage to win the one hole on the front nine but Furyk was back to 3 up when he made a 4-footer for birdie at the par-5 eighth. Johnson finally got untacked on the back nine, though. He won the 11th with a par, the 13th with a chip-in eagle and took the lead for the first time with consecutive birdies on Nos. 15 and 16. But Furyk forced extra holes with a 3-footer for birdie at the 18th. The match then ended on the 20th hole when Johnson made bogey -- despite having to take a drop in the desert -- and Furyk missed an 8-footer to halve the hole. Johnson's next opponent: Francesco Molinari

MATTEO MANASSERO, Italy def. WEBB SIMPSON, USA 3 and 2 Snead
The Italian teen was impressive a year ago in reaching the third round before losing to the eventual champ, Luke Donald, and the 18-year-old started off strong again on Wednesday. Manassero made six birdies in 16 holes and never trailed against Simpson, who finished second on the PGA TOUR money list a year ago. Manassero set the tone for the day when he holed a 52-footer from the fringe at the first hole, won the second when Simpson three-putted for bogey and the fourth with a 6-footer for his second birdie. Simpson finally got untracked on nthe back nine, reeling off three straight birdies starting at No. 11 to get to 1 down, but Manassero sealed the win with a birdie at the 15th and a par at No. 16. "I was able to make some important ... putts," Manassero said. "I think that was the key to this match." Manassero's next opponent: Martin Laird

DAVID TOMS, USA def. RICKIE FOWLER, USA 1 up Hogan
To say Toms was relaxed when he got to Dove Mountain might be an understatement. He spent last week skiing with his family but it didn't take Toms long to hit his stride as he boosted his Match Play record to an impressive 24-9. Toms made eight birdies, six of which went for wins and the final one sealed the victory. The 45-year-old was 4 up through 12 holes when Fowler, 23, started to mount a comeback, winning the next three holes with birdies. Toms made a 24-footer for birdie at the 16th hole to get back to 2 up, but Fowler answered with another birdie so the two went to the 18th with the veteran leading 1 up -- which remained the score when Toms made a 12-footer there for a final birdie. "I came here rusty, but had good preparation yesterday," Toms said. "... And I came out today and started feeling good with the putter. And that was really the key to my round today was making putts. I kept it in play all day, but at the same time I had a lot longer putts than Rickie, because he had a lot shorter shots in. The putter is definitely the key"Toms' next opponent: Martin Kaymer

JASON DAY, Australia def. RAFAEL CABRERA BELLO, Spain 19 holes Player
The second-seeded Day was only half-joking when he said he felt like he'd just won the tournament after rallying to beat the Spaniard. "I did kind of scrape though, but I'm glad I stuck in there and didn't give up," he said. Indeed. Day was 3 down to Cabrera Bello through the first five holes and although he cut it to 1 down through 11, the 15th-seeded Spaniard won the 13th with an eagle and the 14th with a birdie to put the Aussie behind the eight-ball again. Day was undaunted, though, as he won the final three holes of regulation with two pars and a 13-footer for birdie at the 18th to send the match to extra holes. Once there, Day wasted no time in putting Cabrera Bello away as he made a 4-footer for another birdie and the win.Day's next opponent: John Senden

BUBBA WATSON, USA def. BEN CRANE, USA 3 and 2 Hogan
Watson said it was difficult playing a good friend like Crane. But the other "Golf Boy" seemed to bring out the best in Watson, who hit 10 of 12 fairways and 12 of 16 greens. Watson made five birdies in 16 holes and won holes with four of them. He started with a 12-footer at the first hole, then got back to 1 up with a 15-footer at No. 4 after Crane had squared the match with a two-putt birdie at the second. After Crane made an 8-footer to square the match at No. 7, Watson started to pull away. He two-putted the par-5 13th hole for his fourth birdie to take a 3-up advantage and then closed his friend out when he holed a 40-footer from off the green at the 16th. "Overall, I hit the ball so good today," Watson said. "I was really happy with how I was striking it. I didn't miss a shot today." Watson's next opponent: Matt Kuchar

MIGUEL ANGEL JIMENEZ, Spain def. SERGIO GARCIA, Spain 2 and 1 Player
Five Spanish players made it to Dove Mountain, with Jimenez and Garcia pitted against each other in the opening round. Although Garcia seemed to be in good form after his sizzling final round at Riviera on Sunday, it was the Mechanic who was more solid Wednesday. He posted four birdies in his first eight holes and was 2 up at that point. Although he lost the 11th hole with a bogey, he hung onto the lead. A 7-foot par-saving putt at 14 was a huge moment, and Jimenez eventually put the match away when Garcia got in trouble with his tee shot at the 17th. "I just kept telling myself to keep up with him and keep focused," said the 13th-seeded Jimenez, who won a first-round match for the third time in his last four Match Play starts. Jimenez's next opponent: Keegan Bradley

NICK WATNEY, USA def. DARREN CLARKE, N. Ireland 5 and 4 Snead
Watney had an easy time of it against Clarke, who struggled off the tee in making four bogeys and one water-logged double bogey at No. 3 while winning his only hole at the eighth with a 22-foot eagle putt. Watney was 3 up through 5 holes and never looked back, closing out the reigning British Open champion5-footer for birdie at the 10th. While Watney was steady -- he hit seven of 11 fairways and all but two greens -- he credits his play to an attitude adjustment."I think I started off the year with a pretty bad attitude, just very wound up and a very short fuse," explained Watney, who credits his inner circle (wife Amber, caddie Chad Reynolds, instructor Butch Harmon, sports psychologist Morris Pickens) with the turnaround. "... They all pretty much have the same message, like you're out there, and every shot is life and death. It's very hard to play that way, because you're going to hit bad shots in this game, unfortunately. So that's been the goal this week, and so far, so good." Watney's next opponent: Tiger Woods

BRANDT SNEDEKER, USA def. RETIEF GOOSEN, S. Africa 21 holes Jones
Snedeker knew what he had to do as he came to the 18th hole. So he busted a driver past the bunker in the middle of the fairway and then hit a sand wedge to 8 feet for the birdie that would extend the match. Goosen, meanwhile was beside the green in two, chipped on and left himself a 9-footer on roughly the same line but couldn't convert. The two halved the first two holes with pars and birdies, then Snedeker sealed the victory with a two-putt birdie on the 21st hole after Goosen had hit his approach over the green and missed the saving 12-footer. "You know you are going to have close matches," Snedeker said. "There is just no way if you are going to be here for all six of them. So to get a close one under my belt and know that I was able to get the shots when I needed to gives me confidence going into tomorrow." Snedeker's next opponent: Kyle Stanley

KYLE STANLEY, USA def. K.J. CHOI, Korea 2 and 1 Jones
Stanley drew a seasoned player for his Match Play debut. Choi was playing in his ninth Accenture and he also has three Presidents Cups under his belt. Stanley, though, hung tough early and was 2 up after Choi hit his tee shot on the par-3 third into the water and the American staked his approach to 2 inches at the seventh hole. Choi squared the match when he buried a 47-footer for birdie at the 10th hole and Stanley bogeyed No. 11. The reigning PLAYERS champ then took his only lead of the day with a 16-footer for eagle from the front at the 13th hole. Stanley didn't crumble, though, winning the final three holes with a birdie and two pars to seal the maiden victory. "It was a goal of mine at the beginning of the year to be here," said Stanley, who won in Phoenix four weeks ago. "Format or not, it's a golf course that sets up really good for me, if I could get that driver straightened out a little bit. ... It's a big hitters' golf course." Stanley's next opponent: Brandt Snedeker

ANDERS HANSEN, Denmark def. KYUNG-TAE KIM, Korea 5 and 3 Player
It wasn't a pretty beginning. After an early birdie to take the lead, the 9th-seeded Hansen suffered three straight bogeys -- and still added to his lead. Kim bogeyed two of his first four holes, then suffered a double bogey at the par-4 fifth after finding a fairway bunker. He could never mount much of a rally, posting just one birdie on his round. After that shaky stretch, Hansen finally found a rhythm, playing bogey-free golf for his last 10 holes, and closing with three birdies in his last five holes. The Dane is headed to the second round for just the second time in six starts in this event. Hansen's next opponent: Rory McIlroy

MATT KUCHAR, USA def. JONATHAN BYRD, USA 1 up Hogan
Kuchar was feeling pretty good about things when he got up and down from the greenside bunker at the par-5 11th for birdie and a 3-up lead that he had built as steadily as his game. The 13th-seeded Byrd, though, has been playing well this season with two top-10s in four starts, including a tie for eighth at Riviera, so he certainly wasn't about to roll over. Kuchar bogeyed the 12th and Byrd made birdies at the next two holes and suddenly the match was all squarre with five to play. "It was a battle from there," Kuchar said. He finished the match off in style, too, blasting a pitching wedge from 145 yards out of the bunker in the middle of the fairway and making the 14-footer for the 1-up win. "(It was) fun to end with a birdie," Kuchar said. "I think 18 is such a tough hole."Kuchar's next opponent: Bubba Watson

LEE WESTWOOD, England def. NICOLAS COLSAERTS, Belgium 3 and 1 Snead
Westwood, top seed in the Snead bracket, never gave his opponent much of an opening after taking the early lead with birdies at the second and third holes. Westwood played bogey-free golf in his 17 holes, posting six birdies while hitting 15 greens and 8 of 13 fairways. Colsaerts played well after his only misstep, a double bogey at the par-3 6th, but Westwood did not give ground. "It was tidy," Westwood said. "It was some good golf out there. I didn't give any holes away to him. I made him win everything and he made me win everything." It's the fifth straight year that Westwood has won his first round match, but he's never won a second-round match in his first 11 attempts, so Thursday will be a big day for him.Westwood's next opponent: Robert Karlsson

STEVE STRICKER, USA def. KEVIN NA, USA 2 and 1 Hogan
Playing in his first tournament in five weeks, the second-seeded Stricker -- the highest-ranking American in this event -- showed little rust in taking care of the 15th-seeded Na. Stricker did open with a bogey, but a birdie at the sixth put him 1 up. The match was all square as late as the 11th hole. But Na lost the 12th hole after an errant tee shot, and Stricker won the par-4 15th after nearly holing his second shot. "I just kept hanging in there," Stricker said. "Missed it in the right spots to give myself the opportunities." Stricker's next opponent: Louis Oosthuizen

KEEGAN BRADLEY, USA def. GEOFF OGILVY, Australia 4 and 3 Player
Ogilvy is a two-time Match Play winner, but Bradley treated him rudely with arguably the best performance of the day. The reigning PGA champ, fresh off his playoff loss at Riviera, produced six birdies and one eagle in a bogey-free 15 holes to whip the 12th-seeded Australian. Bradley's birdie at the par-4 fourth put him in the lead for good. He was 2 up at the turn, then really caught fire -- a birdie at 10, an eagle at the par-5 11th, and a birdie at 13 put him 5 up. "I played about as good as I could play," said Bradley, who hit every fairway and 14 of 15 greens in regulation. Bradley's next opponent: Miguel Angel Jimenez

ROBERT KARLSSON, Sweden def. FREDRIK JACOBSON, Sweden 6 and 5 Snead
The eighth-seeded Karlsson was outstanding for his 13 holes, posting six birdies against just one bogey (a three-putt at the 10th) as he whipped up on his countryman. Karlsson won three of the first five holes and was 5 up at the turn. Meanwhile, Jacobson failed to produce a single birdie. "I think Fredrik didn't play great today," Karlsson said. "And the most important thing against a player like Freddie is not to give him any easy holes. I was very, very good around the greens, so I kept it together and played really well today. That was the key."Karlsson's next opponent: Lee Westwood

JOHN SENDEN, Australia def. SIMON DYSON, England 4 and 3 Player
The 10th-seeded Senden never trailed in his match against the Englishman. He won the first hole when Dyson couldn't get up and down from beside the first green, missing a 10-footer to save par. Senden eagled the second, rolling in a 6-footer there with Dyson staring at an 8-inch tap-in for birdie. The Aussie's lone bogey at the third hole brought the deficit back to 1 up, but Senden promptly won the next two with a par and a birdie and never was threatened again. Senden went 5 up when he got up and down for birdie at the par-5 11th and while Dyson won the next par 5 with a birdie, the Aussie simply had too big an advantage. "I felt like I was in control of my game and ... I wasn't letting him uup much at all," Senden said. Senden's next opponent: Jason Day

FRANCESCO MOLINARI, Italy def. THOMAS BJORN, Denmark 20 holes Jones
The 11th-seeded Molinari fell behind on the fourth hole and remained that way through 17 holes. But he won the 18th hole when Bjorn three-putted from 41 feet. Both players bogeyed the first extra hole, then Molinari closed out the match in dramatic fashion, holing out from 79 feet from the primary rough for eagle at the par-5 second. "I had the nice uphill way to the hole," Molinari said of the shot, "and then obviously a bit of luck to hole it. ... It's very good to win a match when you're 1 down and playing the last. It's a great feeling." Molinari moves into the second round for the first time in his three Match Play starts. Molinari's next opponent: Dustin Johnson

MARK WILSON, USA def. BO VAN PELT, USA 3 and 2 Jones
The 10th-seeded Wilson was flawless on Wednesday in the best-played match of the day. He had six birdies and played a bogey-free 16 holes in cruising to victory over the 7th-seeded Van Pelt. Wilson was actually 1 down through five holes, but his second birdie of the day squared the match. Van Pelt bogeyed the seventh -- it was the only bogey by either player -- to fall 1 down. Wilson made a 7-footer for birdie at the eighth and nearly knocked in his approach shot at the par-4 ninth to make the turn 3 up. The last of his six birdies, at the par-5 13th, put him 4 up. "He's such a long hitter, but I actually managed to birdie the par 5s and he didn't, even though he was on the green in 2 a lot of the time," Wilson said. "That was kind of the difference." Wilson's next opponent: Robert Rock

LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN, S. Africa def. AARON BADDELEY, Australia 2 and 1 Hogan
The seventh-seeded Oosthuizen lost the first hole, won the next two with birdies and never trailed after that in a tight match against the 10th-seeded Baddeley. Baddeley squared the match on three separate occasions after falling behind, the last time coming at the par-5 11th when Oosthuizen bogeyed. But the South African won the short par-5 15th hole with a 6-foot birdie putt while Baddeley -- one of the PGA TOUR's best putters -- missed a 3-footer. "Changed everything," Oosthuizen said. "I could've been one or two down playing 15." He then ended the match with a birdie at the 17th, again from 6 feet. "Luckily today I putted really well," Oosthuizen said. Baddeley failed to make a birdie after the eighth hole. Oosthuizen's next opponent: Steve Stricker

MARTIN LAIRD, Scotland def. ALVARO QUIROS, Spain 1 up Snead
Four starts, four first-round exits for the big-hitting Spaniard, who fell victim to the 10th-seeded Laird on the final hole. Quiros grabbed the early lead, but the Scot clawed back. Twice on the back nine, Laird grabbed the lead ... and then immediately relinquished it with bogeys. But with the match all square going to 18, Laird pounded a perfect drive and an even better approach to 3 feet. Meanwhile, Quiros' approach landed 38 feet away, and he would ultimately three putt. Laird, meanwhile, posted his sixth and most important birdie of the day. "I got fortunate on the last," Laird said. "It was the perfect number for a 9-iron, 160 yards."Laird's next opponent: Matteo Manassero

ROBERT ROCK, England def. ADAM SCOTT, Australia 1 up Jones
The 15th-seeded Rock pulled off the upset over No. 2 seed Scott, who suffered a first-round exit for the third time in the last four starts here. Rock shrugged off a couple of early bogey and squared by the match with an 8-foot birdie at the sixth hole. But after a string of eight consecutive pars, Rock found himself 1 down after 14 holes. He answered with consecutive birdies -- one from 8 feet, one from 12 feet -- to grab the lead. He bogeyed the 17th but so did Scott, who missed a 6-footer to save par. Scott made a nice par save at the 18th, but it was not enough at Rock hit his approach inside 9 feet for the winning two-putt. "Quite a relief to get through, really," Rock said. "We probably didn't play the best."Rock's next opponent: Mark Wilson

Y.E. YANG, Korea def. GRAEME McDOWELL, N. Ireland 2 and 1 Hogan
In a rematch of their third-round match from last year, the 14th-seeded Yang once again knocked off McDowell. The Korean was 1 down after suffering a bogey at the fifth. But he bounced back with consecutive birdies from 10 and 12 feet and never trailed after that. McDowell, a No. 3 seed, was just 1 down through 12 after a Yang bogey, but Yang matched McDowell's birdies at the 13th and 15th holes. It's the third consecutive year Yang has won his first-round match. It was a disappointing day for McDowell, who played well (13 of 17 GIR, 10 of 13 fairways, six birdies) but did not get the payoff. "I felt like I had to follow him all day long, and I did most of the day," McDowell said, "but he didn't put a foot wrong."Yang's next opponent: Hunter Mahan

RYO ISHIKAWA, Japan def. BILL HAAS, USA 1 up Snead
The 20-year-old Japanese star closed with a burst to upset the reigning FedExCup champ, who was fresh off his dramatic win at Riviera. Ishikawa was behind most of the match and found himself 3 down after 13 holes. But he birdied the next two holes, sticking his approach shot at the 14th to two feet, then rolling in a 12-foot putt at the 15th. At the 17th, he squared the match with an 18-foot birdie putt, then won with a par when Haas missed the green with his approach shot at the 18th and couldn't get up and down. It's the second consecutive year Haas has lost in the opening round. Ishikawa's next opponent: Paul Lawrie

PETER HANSON, Sweden def. JASON DUFNER, USA 2 and 1 Jones
The 9th-seeded Swede birdied the par-5 second to take the lead, and never gave it up for the rest of the match. Another birdie at the par-5 eighth put him 2 up and Dufner could never get anything going in his Match Play debut. The American didn't post a birdie until the par-5 13th, and even then had to settle for halving the hole. In fact, all three of Hanson's birdies came on par 5s, as he advanced past the first round for just the second time in five Match Play appearances.Hanson's next opponent: Ernie Els

PAUL LAWRIE, Scotland def. JUSTIN ROSE, England 1 up Snead
Lawrie, making his first start in this event since 2003, seemed quite comfortable in the desert as he knocked off Rose. Lawrie hit 14 of 18 greens in regulation in posting four birdies on the day. Rose sufferd three bogeys in his first eight holes, falling 2 down. Lawrie lost the 10th hole with a double bogey but bounced back to win the par-5 11th with a birdie. Rose won the 15th with a birdie but gave himself no real birdie chances in the last three holes. It's the third first-round loss in Rose's last four starts in this event. Lawrie's next opponent: Ryo Ishikawa

HUNTER MAHAN, USA def. ZACH JOHNSON, USA 19 holes Hogan
Mahan, a 6th seed, was 2 down through five holes but then won the next two holes to square the match. He took the lead when Johnson found a greenside bunker at the par-3 12th. But Johnson squared it again with an 8-foot birdie putt at the 14th. Mahan responded with an approach shot to 3 feet at the 15th to regain the lead but gave up the lead with a bogey at the 17th. By on the first extra hole, the par-4 first, Johnson's wayward drive found the native area and he stayed in trouble the rest of the way, eventually conceding the hole and the match. "In the end, it just came down to one missed shot for Zach," Mahan said. "It wasn't a terrible shot. It was just the wrong place ... an unfortunate ending to a pretty good match." It's the fourth time in five starts Mahan has won his opening-round match. Mahan's next opponent: Y.E. Yang

CHARL SCHWARTZEL, S. Africa def. GARY WOODLAND 4 and 2 Player
The reigning Masters champ, a No. 3 seed, had no trouble with No. 14 Woodland, who was making his Match Play debut. Schwartzel eagled the par-5 second when he holed out from 64-1/2 feet. Woodland conceded the next hole after finding the water with his tee shot. Schwartzel's lone bogey on the day -- at the par-4 fourth -- didn't cost him, as Woodland bogeyed too. Schwartzel stayed out of trouble the rest of the way while Woodland produced a messy scorecard that included five bogeys (and the conceded hole). Schwartzel closed out the match with a birdie from 4 feet at the par-3 16th. Schwartzel's next opponent: Sang-moon Bae

SANG-MOON BAE, Korea def. IAN POULTER, England 4 and 3 Player
In a shocker, the 6th-seeded Poulter -- who won here two years ago -- was his own worst enemy against the Korean, who was making his World Golf Championships debut. Poulter was haunted by five bogeys as he suffered his worst loss in nine starts in this event. The match was actually all square through 10 holes, but that's when Poulter unraveled. He bogeyed the par-5 11th when he went out of bounds with his second shot. Another bogey at the 12th when he found a greenside bunker. Then another bogey at the 14th when he missed a putt inside 5 feet to save par. Suddenly, the 11th-seeded Bae was 3 up and he closed it out with just his second birdie of the day, this one from 7 feet. Bae's next opponent: Charl Schwartzel

MARTIN KAYMER, Germany def. GREG CHALMERS, Australia 4 and 2 Hogan
Martin Kaymer came away from his victory over the Aussie "very confident" -- which should be an eye-opener for the rest of the field considering the German reached the championship match a year ago. Kaymer, who lives part-time in Scottsdale so he's used to desert golf, never trailed in his match with Chalmers, who was playing in the Accenture Match Play Championship for the first time since 2001. The world No. 4 won the third hole with a par and the seventh and eighth with birdies that he called "important" because they "kept me up early in the round." Chalmers didn't win a hole until Kaymer bogeyed the 14th and by then it was too late. The German rolled in a 6-footer for birdie to win the 15th hole and then closed out the match when Chalmers conceded the next. "I didn't make a lot of mistakes, so it was tough for him to make some points,' Kaymer said. "He needed to make some birdies. The must-birdie holes, I made them. Overall, it was a very satisfying day." Kaymer's next opponent: David Toms

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