Thursday 24 March 2016 22:14, UK
Rory McIlroy’s WGC-Dell Match Play title defence got off to a shaky start as the world No 3 snatched a narrow victory over Thorbjorn Olesen.
McIlroy found himself two holes down with five holes to play in Austin but capitalised on a series of errors from the Dane over the closing stretch to claim a 1up win at the last.
The win sees McIlroy join Kevin Na at the top of the group three table, on a day where Jason Day and Jordan Spieth also opened with victories.
McIlroy, who defeated Gary Woodland to win last year's title, fell behind when Olesen holed a 12-footer at the second and went two down after failing to save par from eight feet at the fourth.
The Northern Irishman responded by birdieing the next from close range, before moving back all-square by saving par at the short seventh.
A wayward approach in to the par-five next saw McIlroy drop a shot and hand Olesen the advantage back, with the Dane moving two clear when the Northern Irishman found the water and conceded the 13th.
McIlroy clawed a hole back with a kick-in par at the 14th and got back level when Olesen three-putted the next from the fringe, before the pair both missed birdie opportunities at the par-5 16th.
After the duo exchanged pars at the 17th, Olesen sliced his chip from the greenside rough and conceded the hole as McIlroy was left with a close-range two-putt for the win.
Elsewhere, Day overcame a back injury to defeat Graeme McDowell 3&2, while Spieth raced three up inside the opening six holes on his way to a 3&2 win over Ryder Cup winner Jamie Donaldson.
Thomas Pieters birdied two of his final three holes to snatch a halve against recent back-to-back PGA Tour winner Adam Scott, as fifth seed Rickie Fowler suffered a shock loss to compatriot Jason Dufner.
A missed par-save from six feet by Shane Lowry at the penultimate hole gave Martin Kaymer a narrow 1up win, while Sergio Garcia edged a rollercoaster all-European contest by the same margin against Lee Westwood.
Garcia lost four holes in a row before winning four of his own around the turn, before holding on to victory with a 12-foot par at the last.
"It was very, very funny," Garcia told Sky Sports. "We halved just three holes in the whole 18. Lee said to me on 17, 'We are gelling well!' It would have been better in a fourball.
"It was very up and down. I started very well and he hit a couple of poor shots, then he got on a great run and the last three or four holes he was making birdie or I was. I'm very happy with the putt I made on 18 to get the win."
A final-hole birdie helped Patton Kizzire snatch a share of the spoils with Bubba Watson, while Open Champion Zach Johnson and Ryder Cup hopeful Andy Sullivan kicked-off their tournament with convincing victories.
Matt Kuchar posted the biggest win of the day by thrashing Anirban Lahiri 6&5, while Matt Fitzpatrick was unable to win a single hole during his 5&4 loss to Phil Mickelson.
"I got off to a good start and any time I got in to trouble, my short game bailed me out," Kuchar told Sky Sports. "Then every putt that was makeable I seemed to make today.
Watch the WGC-Dell Match Play throughout the week live on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf. Day two coverage begins on Wednesday from 6pm.
