McIlroy had the opportunity to supplant England's Luke Donald atop the rankings at the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship last week, but his runner-up finish to Hunter Mahan wasn't enough to boost him to the top.
"I felt like I didn't play my best golf at the start of the week," McIlroy said. "But when I needed to up my game a little bit, for more the most part on Saturday and Sunday, I played really good golf.
While Donald is absent, McIlroy will be able to renew his rivalry with Westwood, now ranked third in the world.
He will play the first two rounds in a marquee group with Tiger Woods and fellow Englishman Ian Poulter.
"It will be a great atmosphere out there," Westwood predicted. "I get on really well with Ian, so I'll be taking the Mickey a bit there and I get on well with Tiger. When I saw the draw I thought, 'that's brilliant.'"
The field also includes defending champion Rory Sabbatini of South Africa, who held off fast-charging Yang Yong-eun of South Korea in the final round last year. Yang, who won the title in 2009, is also back.
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