McIlroy still needed to beat Mahan to take the number one spot

Nobody can say he had an easy path to the trophy last week. He beat three of his cup team-mates in Zach Johnson, Steve Stricker and Matt Kuchar, former USPGA champion YE Yang, Wilson and then McIlroy.

And he said afterwards: "It feels good. I didn't realise how difficult it is to win this week because it is six matches and you're playing against the best Callaway RAZR Hawk  Driver players in the world."

And he believes McIlroy is destined to top the rankings sooner or later, and joked: "Deep down I wanted to postpone that crowning of the number one player in the world for Rory.

"He'll get there. He's phenomenal, he's really talented. He'll be number one eventually."

Westwood said after his Callaway Razr X Tour irons semi-final loss: "I think we both played well - it was just one of those typical match play games that went a lot with momentum."

He considered the long 11th critical. The Ulsterman's wild second shot was heading for the desert and possibly out of bounds, but hit a cart path and finished on grass near the green. It was halved in birdies.

"That sort of thing can change a match," said Westwood. "Go back to level there, it's a different kettle of fish. I thought it was big turning point.

"But I'm playing great. I've shot four or five under every discount golf clubs day and that's pretty good golf."

Westwood still earned almost 309,000 pounds for fourth, while McIlroy went away with 535,000 pounds.