• World Golf Final

Tiger and Rory open with defeats

Rory McIlroy endured a miserable day in Turkey © Getty Images

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There were shocks in the opening matches of the World Golf Final, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy both beaten.

The unsanctioned event at Antalya Golf Club in Turkey, offering a purse of £3.2 million, has attracted the cream of the crop - with world No. 1 and 2 McIlroy and Woods the star attractions.

But they are now on the back foot to qualify for the semi-finals, with McIlroy beaten by Matt Kuchar and Woods toppled by Charl Schwartzel.

McIlroy was first underway and he started well with a birdie on three, but errant tee shots on four and six cost him shots.

A huge eagle putt on seven appeared to steady the ship but Kuchar was rock solid. And in medal matchplay that is a key factor. After a bogey on the first, the American - decked out in a pair of shorts - made just one further mistake. His tee shot on 14 plugged in a bunker, which cost him a bogey, and allowed McIlroy to draw level.

But just as it appeared the momentum was swinging back the world No. 1's way, his round unravelled on 15. He sent a tee shot way right, leaving him in the hazard. He hacked his way out but only into further trouble and simply could not get back into the hole and had to sign for a seven.

Kuchar played solid golf on the final three holes to secure his first point of Group A, ahead of matches with Woods and Schwartzel on Wednesday, while McIlroy posted a further seven on the 16th and a double bogey on 17 to cap a miserable day.

Woods is in the same boat as McIlroy after losing his first match to Schwartzel. The world No. 2's form was pretty good, aside from some errant tee shots, but he paid the price for finding the water on nine. That wayward strike cost him the lead but he regrouped to produce some sparkling play over the closing holes. Time and again he fired at the pins and he drew a mistake from Schwartzel on 17. A pulled tee shot cost the South African a bogey and with Woods making a birdie, they stepped on the tee at 18 all level.

But as was the case with McIlroy, after drawing level, it was Woods who made the mistake. He found a greenside bunker from the middle of the fairway and failed to get close with an admittedly fiendishly difficult bunker shot. Schwartzel was left with two putts from 15 feet and he made no mistake to close out victory.

In Group B, Hunter Mahan failed to find a single birdie as he was well beaten by Justin Rose.

Lee Westwood snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against Webb Simpson. A ragged run around the turn had the Brit in trouble, but he chipped in for a birdie at 17 and cashed in on an errant approach from Simpson on 18 to close out a narrow win.

Group A
Rory McIlroy +5 lost to Matt Kuchar -1
Tiger Woods -1 lost to Charl Schwartzel -2

Group B
Hunter Mahan +4 lost to Justin Rose Ev
Lee Westwood +1 beat Webb Simpson +2

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