WGC-Cadillac Match Play Recap: Rory's Still on Top

Jordan Spieth, Jordan Spieth, Jordan Spieth, Jordan Spieth. And Jordan Spieth.

That sums up the PGA Tour in April, with barely a mention of that other guy -- world No. 1 Rory McIlroy.

After Spieth went wire-to-wire in the Masters to soar to No. 2 in the rankings, he became the latest rivalry for McIlroy, who has taken on all comers since ascending to the top spot last summer.

As April bridged into May, he let Spieth know he's not giving up his standing anytime soon.

McIlroy made a statement at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco, winning the new-fangled WGC-Cadillac Match Play. He won seven matches in five days, three on Sunday, including against surprise finalist Gary Woodland, 4 and 2.

The Northern Irishman had to come back at 6:45 a.m. PDT to finish his darkness-delayed quarterfinal match with Paul Casey. Fortunately for him, he dispatched the Englishman on the first hole of the day, 22nd overall. Then he fought off gritty Jim Furyk in the semifinals, finishing birdie-birdie-eagle for a 1-up win. Woodland, 52nd in the world, was having an easier go of it, besting John Senden in the quarterfinals, 5 and 3, and Danny Willett in Sunday morning's other semifinal, 3 and 2.

The drama that McIlroy faced all week -- his greatest escape was being 2 down to Billy Horschel with two holes left Friday before rallying in 20 holes just to win his group in round-robin play -- never materialized in the final. After the first three holes were halved, McIlroy won the next four against a suddenly errant Woodland, who never fully recovered.

Still, it was a remarkably successful week for the big-hitting Kansan, who has been plagued by inconsistent play all season and had never won so much as a match in two previous trips to the WGC tournament. And that wasn't supposed to change this week, what with him placed in Group 11 -- the "group of death," to steal World Cup terminology -- with Jimmy Walker, Webb Simpson and match-play stalwart Ian Poulter. Woodland didn't lose to any of them.

McIlroy had a slightly easier path at the start, facing overmatched Jason Dufner and game-but-also-overmatched Brandt Snedeker before stunning Horschel. After that, McIlroy pounded another young lion, Hideki Matsuyama in the quarterfinals, 6 and 5.

Spieth was gone by then, not having played badly but falling to Lee Westwood, 2-up, on Friday for the right to advance from Group 2.

The tournament, much criticized with its new format, was saved from disaster when McIlroy stayed alive vs. Horschel. Wednesday meant nothing -- you couldn't be eliminated -- and many of Friday's matches mattered little -- by then, golfers were eliminated. Of course, the magnetic Spieth could've saved the tournament, too. But for this week, at least, it was the world's top golfer doing the saving, and telling the kid there's still the same sheriff in town.

To be continued. And very quickly at that, this week at The Player's Championship.

MONDAY TAKEAWAY

Danny Willett

Willett, whom many American golf fans had never heard of before this week, is now a known quantity (that means, go pick him up before reading the rest of this story, if he's not already taken in your league). Already No. 49 in the world coming in, the 27-year-old Englishman has a strong pedigree, having been the world's No. 1 amateur. And with his earnings by defeating Furyk in the third-place match Sunday afternoon, he's secured special temporary membership on the PGA Tour for the rest of the season, should he choose to accept it. He's also won enough to probably gain his card for next year, too. In the meantime, he has 60 days to accept the tour's offer. He's in the field at Sawgrass this week.

Jim Furyk

We joke a lot about Furyk here, but he gave McIlroy all he could handle. The top player in the world really hit some remarkable shots to finish off the 45-year-old, who was fifth in the world coming in. Furyk had lost to Thongchai Jaidee on the first day of round-robin play, then won his next two matches to sneak in to the single-elimination rounds with a 2-1 mark. He handily defeated J.B. Holmes and Louis Oosthuizen to reach the semifinals. Yes, we joke about him, but just about everyone would want him on their team.

Louis Oosthuizen

The South African tied for fifth last year in the Match Play, so we knew he could succeed in this format. And after the last few weeks, we are starting to believe his balky back is OK. Oosthuizen took down Bubba Watson in a tense round-robin finale before bouncing previously unbeaten Rickie Fowler in the round of 16. As long as his back holds up, he can be a force in the summer season.

Marc Leishman

A month ago, Leishman withdrew from the Masters, his wife barely over a near fatal illness (she's now on the road to recovery). He tied for 28th a couple weeks back at New Orleans, and tied for ninth at Harding Park, falling to Woodland in a taught round-of-16 match, 2 and 1. Leishman was among seven golfers who made the cut at New Orleans, where weather delays proved taxing for a short turnaround with the Match Play beginning Wednesday. None of the others -- Justin Rose, Jason Day, Keegan Bradley, Dustin Johnson, Bernd Wiesberger and Horschel -- made it out of round-robin play.

Jordan Spieth

Spieth won his first two matches, easily handling Mikko Ilonen and Matt Every. The cagey Westwood proved to be too tough on Friday, but such are the vagaries of match play. Would it surprise anyone to see Spieth fire a shot back at McIlroy this week at The Players?

Ian Poulter

Always known as a match-play cutthroat, especially in the Ryder Cup, Poulter proved to be a match-play lamb this week, falling meekly to Webb Simpson and Woodland before beating Walker in a meaningless Friday match. Poulter has been showing the beginnings of a slide for a bit now. If he can't win at match play anymore, how much value does he have?

Adam Scott

Scott went back to the broomstick putter for the Masters after failing miserably with the conventional stick earlier in 2015. He finished T38 at Augusta before going 0-3 in San Francisco. Talk about losing value. If he can't putt even with the broomstick, he can't contend.

Jason Day

We're inclined to give Day a pass for dismally defending his Match Play title by going 0-3 against Zach Johnson, Charley Hoffman and Branden Grace in round-robin play. He admittedly was tired after the hours and hours of weather delays in New Orleans, and he faded Sunday from the overnight lead he shared with eventual champion Rose.

Keegan Bradley/Miguel Angel Jimenez

Bradley finished 0-3 in the tournament, Jimenez 2-1 after winning their grudge match on Friday, 2-up. They almost came to blows, and luckily for the preppy Keegan, they did not. We could see the 51-year-old Mechanic landing one shot to the midsection to end things instantly, without even taking the cigar out of his mouth.