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A shake of the hand and a pat on the shoulder from Shane Lowry to Martin Kaymer demonstrated his magnanimity after losing out to the German in the first match of the group stages of the WGC-Dell Matchplay championship at Austin, Texas. But such gestures were delivered with a sense of utter wonderment at how the Claraman had ended up on the losing end of the deal.
For most of the match, Lowry had the upper hand and was one-up with three holes to play only to lose the Par 5 16th and then three-putt for bogey on the 17th to lose back-to-back holes that swung the match in Kaymer’s favour. The one hole defeat has left Lowry with an uphill battle to escape the group stages.
In contrast, Rory McIlroy - who had trailed Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen for most of their match - fought back from being two down after 13 holes to win his match on the 18th green. The Northern Irishman birdied the 14th and 15th to get back to all-square and then won the 18th after the Dane missed the green to claim a one hole win.
Graeme McDowell was given a front row seat to two performances in his opening group match: the first was a close-up view of world number two Jason Day, his opponent, continuing his stellar form on the back of his Arnold Palmer Invitational tournament win; the second was an closer view of the Australian’s back injury late-on in their match which cast a cloud on Day’s 3 and 2 opening day win.
Day was required to undergo immediate treatment on his ailing back after suffering what were described as “shooting pains” down his lower back and into both legs, which has put a question mark over his continued participation in the WGC event and also a worry over his participation in the upcoming US Masters.
“He grabbed his back and said, ‘oh, I just tweaked it,” his caddie Colin Swatton said of his player’s injury, adding: “Up until that point, there was nothing.”
In fact, Day - who had opted not to play any practice rounds ahead of the tournament - had demonstrated his status as one of the game’s in-form players with a comprehensive win that also showed resolve. He was two down to the Ulsterman after just four holes, but won the fifth with a birdie and then claimed the eighth and ninth holes to turn one up.
McDowell’s day got worse on the Par 3 11th, where, with 192 yards to the flag, he put his tee shot into the lake and was ultimately forced to concede the hole. Day won the 12th with a birdie four to go three up, but instead of coasting home had to endure a painful finish as he suffered back problems from the 15th fairway where he was seen holding his back and stretching. By the time he reached the green, he was grimacing and in obvious pain.
“I’m not going to say it rubbed salt in my wound when a guy is 3 up with three to go and then he starts hurting and is able to limp up and win the match, but it does put a salty edge in it for me,” McDowell said, before adding, with a laugh: “Go down six holes ago if you're going.”
“But you never wish an injury on a guy,” he said, “especially on a guy on top of his form like Jason is, and as good of an athlete as Jason is.”
Day would move ahead of Jordan Spieth into the world number one spot with a win in Austin but that prospect was reduced by his latest medical setback and there is a question over whether or not he will be able to complete the two remaining matches in the group, with the winner advancing to the last-16. And, with the Masters just two weeks away, his fitness for the season’s first Major is an even greater concern.
As his caddie put it, “He’s been great all year,” Swatton said of Day’s health. “Just out of the blue. I don’t know if it was one swing or what it was.” Subsequently, his agent issued a statement confirming that Day’s post-round treatment had proven beneficial and he aimed to play his second round match.
