Mahan beats McIlroy to win Match Play

MARANA, Ariz. -- Enthronement will have to wait. Hunter Mahan, who is down the scale of fame, Sunday kept Rory McIlroy from winning both the Accenture WGC Match Play Championship and climbing to the No. 1 world ranking.

Was there motivation because the fans early on were chanting for McIlroy, the Northern Irishman, instead of Mahan, an American?

"I'd be lying to you if I said there wasn't,'' answered Mahan. "There really was. Deep down you wanted to postpone that crowning of the No. 1 player in the world for Rory.''

That's exactly what Mahan accomplished with his 2 and 1 win over McIlroy, who would have moved to world No. 1, supplanting Luke Donald, with a win.

"He'll get there,'' Mahan said of the 22-year-old McIlroy. "I mean, he's phenomenal. He'll be No. 1 eventually. I'm not worried about it. I'm sure he's not.''

The 29-year-old Mahan said listening to Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo tell the TV audience McIlroy was a cinch gave him "absolute motivation . . . There hasn't been an American player win this in a while. It feels good. It really does.''

An American, Mark Wilson, also took the consolation final, 1 up, over Englishman Lee Westwood.

McIlroy conceded there were two problems. One was Mahan, who made 35 birdies in 96 holes over six matches at the Ritz-Carlton course. "You've got to beat five great players to get here," Mahan said after his semifinal victory. "I've got to beat one more incredible player to win."

The second was McIlroy's tough morning semifinal against Westwood, a friend who because of a switch in agents -- McIlroy did the changing -- became a rival.

McIlroy, with a stretch of seven birdies in 10 holes (six through 15), beat Westwood 3 and 1 in the 7 a.m. match, which meant so much to McIlroy he thought about it all night.

"No disrespect to the other two guys,'' said McIlroy, "but it was almost like my final. That was the one I wanted all week and got, the one I got myself up for.''

In the semifinal between "the other two guys,'' Mahan defeated Wilson 2 and 1.

Americans have won all eight PGA Tournaments this year, the first time that has occurred since 2001, and Mahan is the first U.S. golfer to take Accenture since 2008, when Tiger Woods was champion.

Of the four tournaments Mahan has won since turning pro in 2003, two are World Golf Championship events, the Accenture and the 2010 Bridgestone Invitational.

"I had to take it easy on myself,'' Mahan said about altering his style. A year and a half ago, playing the final match of the 2010 Ryder Cup, Mahan botched a chip at the 17th hole. The American side lost to Europe, and Mahan cried during the interviews.

"I didn't want to have my identity stuck with my golf score,'' Mahan explained. "They needed to be separated, and I needed to play golf because I enjoyed it and accept the result and move on.''

And move he did. Mahan got to 4 up on McIlroy by winning the sixth, seventh, eighth and 10th holes and though McIlroy would pull back two holes, Mahan won comfortably.