Aussies ready for match play

TOP seeds Marc Leishman and Jason Day are itching to tee off at the World Golf Championships- Match Play having polished their games at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Courtesy of their world rankings, Day and Leishman are top- 16 seeds and will be the best- ranked player in each of their four- man groups at the 64- man event in Austin, Texas this week.

The 2017 Palmer winner, Leishman signed off on his title defence with a final round of five- under- par 67 on Sunday to finish at eight under the card and in a share of seventh.

World No. 16 Leishman finished 10 shots back of winner Rory McIlroy, whose stunning 64 earned an 18 under total and a three- shot win over Bryson DeChambeau ( 68).

But it was a eureka moment Leishman had on the greens during the last day at Florida’s famed Bay Hill course which has the 34- year- old confident of bagging a WGC title.

“I worked something out with my putting on the sixth hole; I realised the putter face was closed ( pointing left) and that’s why I hadn’t made any putts this week,” Leishman said.

“I turned a negative into a positive, started making some putts and now I’m really excited to get to the match play.

“I’m really happy with the way I finished.”

Jason Day, is also eager to start his pet event, having won the 2014 and 2016 titles.