Date: February 28, 2009
Author: PA Sport

Ogilvy through to last eight

Geoff Ogilvy booked his spot in the quarterfinals of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship after he beat Camilo Villegas of Colombia 2&1. The 2006 winner lost the first hole, but after squaring it up at the third, the Australian never looked back and went on to record a comfortable victory. Next up for Ogilvy is 19-year-old Rory McIlroy, who beat Tim Clarke. England&aposs Ross Fisher booked his place in the quarter-finals with a 4&3 victory over Jim Furyk. There was a setback for Fisher&aposs compatriot Luke Donald, who conceded his match with Ernie Els on the 18th tee after complaining of weakness in his left wrist, the same joint that required surgery last year and caused him to miss the latter half of last season. The concession came with Donald still in with a chance of taking his match to extra holes, as he had done in beating Vijay Singh in the second round. He was trailing one down to Els at the last but the Englishman called it quits in order to prevent further damage, handing the South African victory. “I didn&apost want to risk it,” Donald said immediately afterwards. “I hit my tee shot on 17 and, for the first time since coming back, I felt a little twinge in my wrist. “It didn&apost feel great when I hit that bunker shot, either. So rather than risk it, I wanted to play it safe and concede the match to Ernie. “When I rotate the wrist I feel a little bit of a popping sensation. I didn&apost get to that stage but it felt a little bit weak and I didn&apost feel like I could make a full, proper swing.” Fisher, meanwhile, was celebrating his third-round 4&3 victory over former US Open champion Furyk, a day after crushing American Pat Perez 6&5 in the second round. “It was a great achievement to get to today,” Fisher said. “But I knew going into today, playing a guy like Jim, it was going to be a very difficult match. “He&aposs a great player, he&aposs a Major winner, he&aposs Mr Ryder Cup; you know, he&aposs a gritty competitor. “So I knew it was going to be a very difficult match but I felt very comfortable and confident going into it. “My game&aposs been in really, really good shape this week. I feel like the course suits me very, very well. I just knew I had to come out and play some solid golf.” McIlroy, in his first start as a professional in the United States, made it three wins in as many days as he reached the last eight with a 4&3 victory over Clark of South Africa. Clark cut short Tiger Woods&apos comeback from an eight-month injury lay-off yesterday with a 4&2 victory over the world number one at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club but that victory clearly took its toll and McIlroy capitalised to the full. “I think, yesterday, obviously playing on so much adrenaline, it&aposs tough to come out today,” Clark said. “And I just felt a little bit flat. Rory played really well.” The 19-year-old jumped into a lead at the opening hole as Clark bogeyed the par-four first and the teenager stretched his lead with a birdie four at the second to go two up. McIlroy quickly established a stranglehold by going four up after six holes before Clark won his first hole at the seventh. The Dubai Desert Classic winner hit straight back with a birdie at the eighth to regain his four-up lead and maintained it to claim victory at the 15th. “I think Tim didn&apost play his best golf today,” McIlroy said. “Understandably, he was probably a little flat after all that happened yesterday and I came out and got off to quite a fast start and got an early lead, and I was able to hang on and get the win. “It&aposs great, fantastic.” Fisher faces Justin Leonard, who ended Oliver Wilson&aposs giant-killing run with a win at the 19th hole, and Paul Casey made it two Englishmen in the last eight with a 3&2 victory over Sweden&aposs Peter Hanson. He now plays Sean O&aposHair after the American defeated Ian Poulter 2&1. Stewart Cink won the all-American battle with Phil Mickelson, one up, and will play Els. “Stewart is playing very well, hit a lot of good shots, made some good putts, the front nine especially,” Mickelson said. “I think he&aposs going to be tough to beat and certainly was tough for me.”