McIlroy to face Lowry

Last updated: 18th February 2013

World number one Rory McIlroy will square up against Shane Lowry in the opening round of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship on Wednesday.

Lowry and Sweden's Fredrik Jacobson were initially set to miss the event in Arizona, but they gained entry following Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker's withdrawal last week.

Irishman Lowry, who is seeded 64th, will be up against two-time major winner McIlroy in the Bobby Jones quarter of the draw while Jacobson, who finished tied for third in the Northern Trust Open on Sunday, will face Open champion Ernie Els.

McIlroy will be making his 2013 US PGA Tour debut at the event while he missed the cut European Tour's Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship - his only start of the year to date.

Lowry against McIlroy won't be the only all-Irish clash with Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington also up against each other.

World number two Tiger Woods, who also missed the cut in Abu Dhabi, will take on Presidents Cup partner Charles Howell, while third seed Luke Donald will be up against German Marcel Siem.

Former Open winner Louis Oosthuizen is the fourth seed and will open against Scotland's Richie Ramsay with defending champion Hunter Mahan facing Italy's Matteo Manassero.

"I'll get excited when I get there," Mahan said.

"Match play is fickle," he said. "You can play great and go home in the first day. It's really six individual tournaments against world class competition. You have to step on the first tee on the first day and play well."

First-round draw:

Jones Bracket

(1) Rory McIlroy v (64) Shane Lowry, (32) Rickie Fowler v (33) Carl Pettersson, (16) Dustin Johnson v (49) Alexander Noren, (17) Graeme McDowell v (48) Padraig Harrington, (8) Bubba Watson v (57) Chris Wood, (25) Jim Furyk v (40) Ryan Moore, (9) Charl Schwartzel v (56) Russell Henley, (24) Zach Johnson v (41) Glen Day

Hogan Bracket

(4) Louis Oosthuizen v (61) Richie Ramsay, (29) Branden Grace v (36) Robert Garrigus, (13) Keegan Bradley v (52) Marcus Fraser, (20) Ernie Els v (45) Fredrik Jacobson, (5) Justin Rose v (60) KJ Choi, (28) Bill Haas v (37) Nicolas Colsaerts, (12) Sergio Garcia v (53) Thongchai Jaidee, (21) Matt Kuchar v (44) Hiroyuki Fujita

Player Bracket

(2) Tiger Woods v (63) Charles Howell, (31) Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano v (34) Francesco Molinari, (15) Webb Simpson v (50) David Lynn, (18) Peter Hanson v (47) Thomas Bjorn, (7) Lee Westwood v (58) Rafael Cabrera Bello, (26) Martin Kaymer v (39) George Coetzee, (10) Jason Dufner v (55) Richard Sterne, (23) Hunter Mahan v (42) Matteo Manassero

Snead Bracket

(3) Luke Donald v (62) Marcel Siem, (30) Paul Lawrie v (35) Scott Piercy, (14) Steve Stricker v (51) Henrik Stenson, (19) Nick Watney v (46) David Toms, (6) Adam Scott v (59) Tim Clark, (27) Jamie Donaldson v (38) Thorbjorn Olesen, (11) Ian Poulter v (54) Stephen Gallacher, (22) Bo Van Pelt v (43) John Senden