Westwood in danger of losing No. 1 rank
Source: Agencies |
May 22, 2011, Sunday
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Luke Donald and Germany's Martin Kaymer are in a battle to dethrone Lee Westwood as world No. 1 after the Briton suffered a shock defeat in the last 16 of the World Match Play Championship in Casares, Spain, yesterday.
Westwood was beaten by compatriot and Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter, who birdied the short 17th and held on to win by one hole.
Having only regained the No. 1 spot last month from Kaymer, Westwood will now relinquish it should either of his two closest rivals win the tournament on the Costa del Sol. "I didn't make any putts. He did and he had a couple more breaks than me," Westwood said.
Donald also struggled when taken to the 19th by Swedish outsider Johan Edfors but prevailed to give himself hope of being world No. 1 for the first time today.
Donald, who beat Kaymer to win the Accenture Match Play title in Arizona in February, will play Masters champion Charl Schwartzel next.
Close out
South African Schwartzel matched Englishman Ross Fisher's eagle at the last to close out the defending champion by one hole.
Third-ranked Kaymer, looking to regain the global top spot, eased through to the quarterfinals with a 3 and 2 success over Dane Soren Kjeldsen. The German will take on home favorite Alvaro Quiros. Quiros, who lives in nearby San Roque, won two of the last three holes to beat South Korea's Noh Seung-yul by 1 hole.
US Open champion Graeme McDowell won the battle of Ryder Cup partners by defeating fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy 3 and 2.
McDowell will next meet Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts, the winner last week in China who ousted Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas by 1 hole.
The 22nd-ranked Poulter's prize for toppling Westwood, who won the tournament in 2000 when it was held at Wentworth, England, is a quarterfinal match against Italy's Francesco Molinari, another Ryder Cup colleague from Europe's victory over the United States.
The quarterfinals were being played later in the day.
(Agencies)
Westwood was beaten by compatriot and Ryder Cup teammate Ian Poulter, who birdied the short 17th and held on to win by one hole.
Having only regained the No. 1 spot last month from Kaymer, Westwood will now relinquish it should either of his two closest rivals win the tournament on the Costa del Sol. "I didn't make any putts. He did and he had a couple more breaks than me," Westwood said.
Donald also struggled when taken to the 19th by Swedish outsider Johan Edfors but prevailed to give himself hope of being world No. 1 for the first time today.
Donald, who beat Kaymer to win the Accenture Match Play title in Arizona in February, will play Masters champion Charl Schwartzel next.
Close out
South African Schwartzel matched Englishman Ross Fisher's eagle at the last to close out the defending champion by one hole.
Third-ranked Kaymer, looking to regain the global top spot, eased through to the quarterfinals with a 3 and 2 success over Dane Soren Kjeldsen. The German will take on home favorite Alvaro Quiros. Quiros, who lives in nearby San Roque, won two of the last three holes to beat South Korea's Noh Seung-yul by 1 hole.
US Open champion Graeme McDowell won the battle of Ryder Cup partners by defeating fellow Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy 3 and 2.
McDowell will next meet Belgium's Nicolas Colsaerts, the winner last week in China who ousted Venezuela's Jhonattan Vegas by 1 hole.
The 22nd-ranked Poulter's prize for toppling Westwood, who won the tournament in 2000 when it was held at Wentworth, England, is a quarterfinal match against Italy's Francesco Molinari, another Ryder Cup colleague from Europe's victory over the United States.
The quarterfinals were being played later in the day.
(Agencies)
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