The Comeback Kids

10/30/2009

Following defeats in their first group matches, four of the favourites got back to winning ways on the second morning of the Volvo World Match Play Championship with crucial afternoon matches to decide who plays who in Saturday’s semi-finals.

20-year-old Rory McIlroy, who lost on the opening day to US Masters champion Angel Cabrera came roaring back to defeated Simon Dyson of England to blow the Gustaf Larson Group wide open.

“It feels great,” said the youngster after his second of three group matches, adding, “You just have to keep on giving yourself chances.”

Another of the form horses on the comeback trail was England’s Lee Westwood; having lost heavily to Jeev Milkha Singh on the opening day, he came roaring back with a two-hole win over compatriot Ross Fisher.

“I managed to rattle off four straight birdies and get a foot in the door,. So I was quite pleased,” said Westwood.

Swede Henrik Stenson had been unhappy with his opening day loss against Simon Dyson and gave himself a chance of reaching Saturday’s semis with a fine two-hole win over US Masters champion Angel Cabrera.

“That was nice,” commented Stenson, adding, “It was quite a turnaround.”

The fourth member of the comeback club was Colombian Camilo Villegas, who avenged his first match defeat to Ross Fisher with a fine three-hole win over Thursday’s hero, Jeev Milkha Singh to make the entire Assar Gabrielsson Group equal on two points, although Singh is still in the box seat with the better ‘goal difference.

The line-up for the Saturday semi-finals will not be known until all 16 golfers have played their third and final rounds on Friday afternoon and a calculator could be a useful tool with calculations of the holes won and lost almost certain to come into play.

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