Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer, who both could leap to the
top of the rankings by winning the tournament on the Costa del Sol, also eased
to opening-round victories at the Finca Cortesin course on Thursday but
Westwood's 6-and-5 rout of Hansen in Group A stood out on a day of few
surprises.
Westwood started with a bogey on the par-4 first but found
his range with the putter to make six birdies between the fourth and 11th
holes, overwhelming his Danish opponent.
“I hit it close all through that run of birdies,” said
Westwood, who is bidding for a third straight tournament victory after wins in
Indonesia and South Korea.
“If you get on a winning run where you're in contention a
lot and finishing it off, that works wonders for your confidence and you start
getting in that habit. But I've seen enough ups and downs in golf to know that
you don't take good play for granted. You have to work constantly at it.”
Westwood didn't compete in last week's Players Championship at the TPC
Sawgrass, branded by some as the fifth major, to maintain his freshness for not
only the World Match Play but also subsequent tournaments this summer.
Considering the start he has made, that looks to be a wise
decision, although there are tougher tests ahead in southern Spain this week as
he looks to win the tournament for the second time. His first came in 2000.
“I feel fresh, feel good coming into this week, which is
tough and demanding,” said Westwood, who credits his newfound stamina and
strength to a strict fitness regime he began four years ago. “I had such a busy
time in the first part of the year, I was going to need a break at some stage
to just sit down and do nothing, and recharge.” Westwood plays Australia's
Aaron Baddeley on Friday in his second group match.
Donald, who beat Kaymer to win the Accenture World Match
Play in Arizona in February, again showed his pedigree in the one-on-one format
by cruising past Ryan Moore 4 and 3 in Group B.
Birdies at the third, fourth and seventh holes put the
second-ranked Donald 3 up, and two more at No. 14 and No.
15 saw off the challenge of the only American player in the
24-man field.
“I haven't had too many disappointments in match play. I
enjoy the format and I've been very successful in it,” said Donald, who has
finished in the top 10 in 13 of his last 14 events. “I continued the form I've
been playing the last few months. I'd put it in the solid category.” Donald
needs to win the tournament and hope Westwood doesn't make the final if he is
to climb to No. 1 for the first time. Kaymer, meanwhile, requires Westwood to
be eliminated before the semifinals to return to the top of the rankings.
The third-ranked German was 2 down to Y.E. Yang by the 11th
but won the next four holes to complete a 2-and-1 win on the 17th.
Only two players lost to lower-ranked opponents on a day of
few genuine shocks at the hilly, par-72 course.
Ninth-ranked Paul Casey lost 3 and 1 to Spain's Alvaro
Quiros, the world No. 26, in a battle of the big hitters and Masters champion
Charl Schwartzel was thrashed 6 and 5 by Miguel Angel Jimenez.
Schwartzel is trying to emulate his fellow South Africans
Gary Player and Ernie Els, who won the tournament 12 times between them. But he
bogeyed the opening two holes and failed to match the consistency of Jimenez,
who was born in nearby Malaga but is playing this course for the first time.
Jimenez didn't drop a shot for the entire round.
“I just kept playing solid - pars, pars, birdies, pars.
That's the game today,” said Jimenez, who went 3 up after
five holes and never looked back.
Schwartzel must avoid defeat in his second Group G match -
against Johan Edfors on Friday - to have a chance of qualifying for the
knockout stages this weekend.
Under the tournament's new format, two players from each of
the eight three-man groups go through to the last 16.
Elsewhere, No. 5-ranked Graeme McDowell, the US Open
champion, defeated British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen 3 and 1 and fellow
Northern Irish player Rory McIlroy also won, beating Retief Goosen by 1 hole.
Ross Fisher, who defeated Anthony Kim in the 2009 final,
starts the defense of his title on Friday.
