McIlroy faces Simon Dyson and Henrik Stenson on Friday

Rory McIlroy was handed a five-hole hammering by Angel Cabrera on the opening day of the World Match Play.

McIlroy was level par for his round but ran into an impressive display from the current Masters champion.

The 20-year-old led after six holes but Cabrera immediately levelled and three successive wins from the 11th put him in control of the match.

McIlroy cut the lead to two with a birdie on 14 but Cabrera won the last three holes with birdies.

In the other match in McIlroy's round-robin group, Simon Dyson clinched a three-hole win over Henrik Stenson.

McIlroy will need wins over Dyson and Stenson and Friday to have any chance of progressing to Saturday's semi-finals.

The Northern Irishman will need to lift his game from his display on Friday.

McIlroy dropped one down by bogeying the short second although he won the fifth, after a Cabrera bogey, and the par-three sixth with a birdie to go one up.

Another McIlroy bogey saw the match going all-square at the seventh before Cabrera took control with his three straight wins from the 11th.

Cabrera won the 11th with a birdie four and after McIlroy bogeyed another of the par threes, the Argentine moved three up after a glorious approach to three feet at the 13th.

McIlroy's fine approach at the next, followed by a four-foot birdie putt, gave him a glimmer of hope but Cabrera's big finish appears to have put the South American in control of Group C.

The only piece of good news for McIlroy on Friday was Race to Dubai leader Lee Westwood's six-hole hammering by Jeev Milkha Singh.

McIlroy is currently £190,000 behind the European Order of Merit leader.

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