• WGC-Accenture Match Play

Win over Westwood cost me in final - McIlroy

Rory McIlroy missed the opportunity to move to No. 1 © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: McIlroy shows respect for rival Westwood
  
• Out of Bounds: McIlroy & Westwood a rivalry with real bite
  
• News: Westy licking his lips at more McIlroy battles
  
• Profile: Rory McIlroy

Rory McIlroy concedes his epic semi-final win over Lee Westwood at the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship allowed his game to slip as he lost the decider to Hunter Mahan.

The Northern Irishman would have claimed the world No. 1 ranking with victory in the final, but McIlroy lost back-to-back holes against Mahan, leaving himself too much ground to make up on the American. McIlroy believes his 3&1 triumph over rival Westwood earlier on Sunday sapped his mental and physical energy.

"No disrespect to the other players in the semis, but it was like my final," said McIlroy. "That was the match I wanted all week. But it doesn't take away from the fact that Hunter played solid golf. And through the course of the week, he played the best and deserved to win.

"Even though I threw a few birdies and an eagle at him on the back nine, he still responded well and held on. Maybe the intensity wasn't quite as much as it was this morning going out. I think that's a little understandable after going through a match like that, thinking about it all last night and this morning.

"I don't think I'd do anything differently. Because if I didn't play with the same intensity in the morning, I might not have been in the final."

Mahan explained that he used the hype surrounding McIlroy's potential No. 1 crowning as motivation in the final as he stole the march on his highly fancied opponent by winning three straight holes on the front nine. However, Mahan believes his victory is a mere delay of the Ulsterman reaching golf's top spot.

"Deep down, you wanted to postpone that crowning of the No. 1 player in the world for Rory," Mahan said. "He'll get there. I mean, he's phenomenal. He's really talented. He'll be No. 1 eventually.

"But yeah, when you're a player, and I listen to Johnny Miller and Nick Faldo and all those guys, they had him picked to win. And that's what everybody was talking about. There was absolute motivation in that."

McIlroy's focus will now shift to the first major of the year in early April as he aims to get his hands on the 2012 Masters title.

"I can't wait. That's what I'm building up to. I've got two events before the Masters and it would be nice to get a couple of good results before that," McIlroy said.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.