McIlroy to march into Match Play semis, while Westwood to bow out
Published:The WGC Accenture Match Play has been full of upsets up to this point and we have predicted three more in the quarter finals, which will result in a promising 12/1 payout.
Only three of the eight matches in the last round were won by the favourite, while in the opening round 15 upsets occurred, including the elimination of defending champion Luke Donald.
Rory McIlroy is one favourite who can make the semi finals, but things will not be so easy for Lee Westwood, Matt Kuchar and Mark Wilson.
Rory McIlroy to beat Sang-moon Bae @ 4/11
McIlroy has slowly eased his way into the tournament, but produced his best display so far when seeing off Miguel Angel Jimenez in the last round.
He will have to play to this standard again though against the lowest seed left in contention as Bae has already upset the likes of Ian Poulter and Charl Schwartzel to reach the quarter finals.
Martin Laird to beat Lee Westwood @ 11/8
Westwood has led for 48 of the 49 holes he has played in the opening three rounds and has made a good habit of starting quickly.
However, Laird is more used than most to desert conditions and has made a habit of knocking out his fellow Europeans at Dove Mountain, doing so in each round thus far.
Hunter Mahan to beat Matt Kuchar @ 1/1
Mahan has managed 16 birdies in his last 30 holes at the Ritz-Carlton course and against Steve Stricker in the last round was almost flawless in finding fairways of the tee and greens in regulation.
Kuchar is as steady as they come and will not be flustered if Mahan does get on a birdie streak, while he seems to like this tournament having finished third last year.
But while Kuchar will make few mistakes, Mahan’s ability to force the pace can be the difference.
Peter Hanson to beat Mark Wilson @ 10/11
A potential future Ryder Cup battle, but it will be Europe that are celebrating.
Hanson has not trailed in any match at the tournament to date and has played arguably better than Wilson, who was virtually gifted victory over Dustin Johnson because the erratic nature of his opponent.
Wilson triumphed despite making three bogeys, with Johnson everywhere over the desert and he will struggle against Hanson if continuing to drop shots at this rate.
