2012 Accenture Match Play Championship
Proves Magical for First-time Winner Hunter Mahan

MARANA, Ariz. – In the high-stakes championship showdown of the 2012 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship, Hunter Mahan of the United States came out on top Sunday.

Mahan defeated Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, 2 and 1, with a stunning final round performance in the WGC tournament that was contested on the Jack Nicklaus designed course at Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona, just north of Tucson, February 22-26.

“I felt great with my game all week,” said Mahan.

Any one of the elite 64 players in the Accenture contest is capable of winning the tournament. But it was Mahan who captured his magical win of the WGC event to earn the $1.4 million first place prize and lift the prestigious Walter Hagen Cup, emblematic of the world’s greatest match-play competitor. McIlroy takes home the $850,000 second place award.

In a hard-fought consolation match, Mark Wilson of the United States defeated the United Kingdom’s Lee Westwood, 1-up, to earn $600,000 for third, while the Englishman received $490,000 for fourth place. Before meeting McIlroy in the championship contest, Mahan defeated fellow American Mark Wilson in the semi-final to advance. Mahan quickly went 2-up after the first two holes and never relinquished his lead. In their well-played match, Wilson got as close as 1-down, but he never overcame Mahan’s solid game, eventually falling 2 and 1. Mahan, playing in his fifth Accenture Match Play competition, has never made it past the third round before this year. In their head-to-head championship duel, three-time PGA TOUR winner Mahan broke the deadlock with McIlroy by birdying the 6th hole to go 1-up. Mahan extended his lead to 3-up after McIlroy bogied the 8th and 9th holes. At the 10th hole Mahan went 4-up before giving one back when the player from Northern Ireland made eagle 3 on the par 5 11th  hole to top Mahan’s birdie.

Hunter Mahan of the U.S. celebrates with the Walter Hagen Cup after winning the championship match during the final round of the 2012 World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. He defeated Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, 2 and 1.

In a semi-final thriller, Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy defeated Englishman Lee Westwood to advance. McIlroy, reigning U.S. Open champion, trailed his Ryder Cup teammate, 3-down, through seven holes before recovering to square the match on the 8th hole and eventually gain the lead at the 9th hole to go 1up. After the turn, McIlroy never looked back en route to defeating Westwood, 3 and 1. This marks the first time McIlroy reached the finals.

This year’s event saw a newly added twist, allowing fans attending the Accenture Match Play Championship to go inside the ropes to walk the fairway and view up close the championship battle between Mahan and McIlroy. Dubbed “Follow the Leaders,” it was aimed at enhancing the match-play experience for fans.

The marquee Accenture Match Play Championship is part of the prestigious World Golf Championships, a series of global events that bring the world’s best golfers together in competition in different formats at a variety of venues. This global event captures the spirit and culture of Accenture: to continually achieve through the very best performance, and then raise the bar even higher.

Follow the action and view live scoring updates on www.worldgolfchampionships.com.