ASH, England — Defending champion Graeme McDowell and Victor Dubuisson began the World Match Play Championship with comfortable wins on Wednesday, three weeks after teaming up as one of Europe’s top pairings in the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.
McDowell had a 3-and-2 victory over Alexander Levy, who won the Portugal Masters on Sunday, and Dubuisson beat Pablo Larrazabal by the same score in the first of three group matches at The London Club in southeast England.
“Historically in this event the last couple of years I have been getting off to slow starts and you don’t want to put yourself in the hole against good players,” said McDowell, who was 4 up after 10 holes against Levy in the first match of the day. “So a good start for me was key. … I got going with the putter and was able to build a winning lead.”
Henrik Stenson, at No. 5 the highest-ranked player in the 16-man field, halved his match with George Coetzee of South Africa. Two other members of Europe’s Ryder Cup winning team, Stephen Gallacher and Jamie Donaldson, lost to Shane Lowry and Paul Casey, respectively.
Patrick Reed, the U.S. team’s top points scorer in Gleneagles, opened with a 2-and-1 loss to Jonas Blixt.
Reed won 3 ½ points in the Ryder Cup in his first appearance in the competition.
Blixt went ahead with a birdie at No. 7 and was never behind after that.
“It was one of those days where both of us played pretty solid, but at the end of the day I didn’t really make anything,” said the Texas-born Reed.
Other players to start with wins were Joost Luiten and Thongchai Jaidee, who lost to McDowell in last year’s final.
The second matches of the round-robin stage will be played Thursday.
PGA Grand Slam
SOUTHAMPTON, Bermuda — U.S. Open champion Martin Kaymer won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf in a playoff over Masters champion Bubba Watson after a wild day in Bermuda.
Kaymer twice lost a three-shot lead in the final round of the 36-hole exhibition for the year’s major champions. Watson took a two-shot lead on the par-3 16th when he made birdie and Kaymer made bogey. Kaymer answered with a two-shot swing with a birdie on the par-5 17th as Watson took bogey.
Both made par on the 18th. Kaymer had a 71 and Watson a 69. Kaymer made birdie on the first playoff hole to win.
British Open and PGA champion Rory McIlroy closed with a 75 to finish eight shots behind. Jim Furyk, the alternate, shot 73 and finished last.
Hall of Fame
Laura Davies of England is one of four people who have been chosen for the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Davies long has been regarded Britain’s greatest female golfer with four majors, 12 appearances in the Solheim Cup, and some 70 wins around the world. She will be inducted at a ceremony at St. Andrews next year during the week of the British Open.
The others chosen for induction were Mark O’Meara, David Graham of Australia and architect A.W. Tillinghast.
O’Meara won the Masters and British Open in 1998 among his 16 PGA Tour victories.
This is the first year independent golf writers did not have a vote. Instead, the inductees were chosen by a 16-member panel made up mostly of golf administrators.
By wire sources