Cactus to the left, jumping cholla to the right. Above, a relentless sun poured forth. Below, desert sand stretched for miles.

Oh, and the conversation along the ropes at the par-5 13th during the second round of the Accenture Match Play Championship? It offered further proof, Toto, that we’re not in the U.K.

Gentleman: “So, you kids took a day off today?”

Young girl: “Oh, no, we didn’t have school. It’s Rodeo Week.”

Pass the bola ties and 10-gallon hats all around and let the gentleman from Mansfield, England, give his impression of golf up here on Dove Mountain. “It is,” he said with a smile, “a little bit unique.”

It is not the sort of golf stage he and his mates from England and Scotland and Northern Ireland are used to, for you do not keep the ball on the ground here at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Course; rather, you fly it unheard-of distances -- 270 to even 290 yards – over large areas of desert and watch it go . . . and go . . . and go.

“The ball goes so far. It’s very tough. We’re not used to that,” Oliver Wilson said.

Nor do the mountains of rock look anything like the majestic sand dunes that they are more in tune with, which is to say nothing about the heat and the lack of ocean air and menus without bangers and mash, but enough of all that. Topographical, geographical, and cultural issues aside, it was a brilliant day for the chaps from the U.K. As a splendid complement to the moans and groans that have percolated all week about only 17 Americans being in this World Golf Championship field, a striking reality came into focus in the searing desert heat:

Of the 16 players still left, one is not Tiger Woods and six are proud citizens of the United Kingdom.

“Obviously, it’s great for English golf,” Ross Fisher said, moments after he eagled the par-5 13th to finish off the day’s biggest rout, a 6-and-5 thrashing of Pat Perez. “We’ve got some really good youngsters coming through.”

Some, of course, have long since arrived, such as Englishmen Ian Poulter, a 1-up victor over Charl Schwartzel; Luke Donald, who came from 2 down through 16 to rally past Vijay Singh in 19 holes; and Paul Casey, who drilled Matthew Goggin, 6 and 4. Others, such as Wilson and Fisher, have perhaps not yet arrived, though they’ve slowly been introduced to the golf stage via Ryder Cups and WGC shows. Then there are those who are bursting into view with a smile warmer than the desert sun and a boyish glee that helps you fall in love with this great game all over again.

Meet Rory McIlroy, who helped close out the second day of action with a scintillating win over Hunter Mahan, a birdie-birdie finish helping turn a two-hole deficit into a 1-up win. By doing so, McIlroy ensured the U.K. of 38 percent of today’s sweet 16. Before we raise a toast to the young man’s skill and grit, let us salute his sense of perspective.

An anticipated third-round match with Woods was spoiled when Tim Clark played masterfully, so inquiring minds wanted to know: How disappointed was the young man in that?

“I’m not,” McIlroy said with a laugh.

He is wise beyond his years, this young lad from Northern Ireland, because taking on the world’s greatest player is never a good way to plan advancement through a match-play tournament, and yeah, this takes into account what Clark brilliantly accomplished. Besides, McIlroy was focused on his business at hand, which looked not so good when he lost the par-3 12th to go 2 down.

But, “I played my best golf when I needed to,” McIlroy said.

It wasn’t boasting. It was the truth.

He made a birdie at the par-5 13th to cut the deficit in half, then after Mahan handed him a hole by three-putting for bogey at the par-4 14th, the kid finished with a flourish. He birdied the 15th to answer Mahan’s, then from a fairway bunker at the par-4 17th, McIlroy drilled a pitching wedge to 10 feet, slipped it home, and went 1 up.

Good stuff that got even better when McIlroy kept the pedal to the metal -- an 18-foot birdie roll at the par-4 18th that made Mahan’s 12-foot try meaningless and earned him a bearhug from his father, Gerry McIlroy.

Above, the sun was still throbbing, the desert sand was still radiating heat, and cactus still forced you to alter your steps. Oh, and Rodeo Week was in full swing.

Not exactly like home, but to a spirted corps of U.K. golfers, it hardly mattered.

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