Rory McIlroy and Lee Westwood remain on track for a shot at the world No.1 ranking after winning their quarter-finals at the WGC Match Play Championships in Arizona.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy took care of South Korean Sang-Moon Bae 3 and 2 while England’s Westwood outlasted Scotsman Martin Laird 4 and 2 to set up a mouth-watering semi-final between the pair.
Earlier Hunter Mahan and Mark Wilson set up an all-American semi-final after wins over Matt Kuchar and Peter Hanson respectively.
Mahan destroyed countryman Matt Kuchar 6 and 5, ending it on the 13th hole while Wilson defeated Swede Peter Hanson 4 and 3.
Either McIlroy or Westwood can usurp Luke Donald as the top golfer in the world should they go on and win this event.
McIlroy won the opening hole in his match against Bae – the man who knocked out Australia’s final hope John Senden in round three.
Bae squared up on the third when McIlroy found water.
It remained tied until McIlroy dropped a six-foot birdie putt into the hole on the eighth to retake the lead.
But McIlroy found the desert off the tee on the 10th and was forced to take an unplayable, and the South Korean took advantage to once again tie things up.
With the match at a critical juncture, McIlroy bounced right back and took the 11th hole and then Bae found sand and desert in consecutive shots on the 13th hole to get himself in a widening hole at 2-down.
McIlroy then took the 15th hole with birdie meaning a simple half on the 16th was enough to close out the match.
Westwood prevailed despite facing an early deficit against Scotland’s Martin Laird in the final quarter-final.
Laird nailed a six-foot birdie on the opening hole to grab a 1-up lead and held the lead through five holes before Westwood went on a tear.
As Laird’s game fell away Westwood won four of five holes between the sixth and 10th holes to open up a 3-up lead.
Laird managed to get a hole back but Westwood remained mistake free and took the match on the 16th hole.
Mahan’s belting of Kuchar was the largest margin of victory for a quarter-final in the event’s history.
After the pair halved the opening two holes Kuchar dumped his tee ball on the third into the water allowing Mahan to take a lead he would never relinquish.
Pars on holes five through seven were enough to rocket to a 4-up lead as Kuchar’s game deserted him.
Wilson and Hanson were eyeball to eyeball throughout the opening nine in their quarter-final, but it was the Swede who blinked first.
He bogeyed the first two holes on the back nine allowing Wilson to take control with a 2-up advantage.
