Rory McIlroy, the highest ranked player remaining in the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship field, advanced to the second round Wednesday, beating George Coettzee 2-up.
McIlroy was 3-up with three holes to play, but lost No. 16 and 17 to give Coetzee a chance at the major upset.
Instead, McIlroy won No. 18 and the match. The world's No. 2 ranked player will face Anders Hansen in Thursday's second round.
McIlroy never trailed in his match against Coetzee, a South African who was playing his first match in the United States after a seven-year layoff. McIlroy advances to play Anders Hansen, who defeated Kyung-tae Kim 5 and 3.
