MCILROY GOING GREAT GUNS
Northern Irishman advances Tiger and other big names fumble
RORY McIlroy remained unbeaten, Tiger Woods suffered a critical loss and defending champion Bubba Watson and two-time winner Jason Day were eliminated Thursday at the WGC-Match Play Championship.
The 64-player showdown featuring the world ranking leaders at Austin (Texas) Country Club starts with three days of group play to determine 16 berths in weekend knockout matches to decide a champion.
Fourth seed McIlroy defeated South Africa’s 47th-seeded Justin Harding 3&2, eagles at the par-5 12th and 16th and a birdie at the par-4 15th tipping a squared match his way to give him a 2-0 record and group lead.
“One of the big things over the last couple of days is I’ve been happy with how I’ve responded. I
played the shot when I needed to — I holed the putt when I needed to.
“When I sense a little bit of blood I’m taking my opportunities. Whenever I have to step up and hit a shot on top of a guy I’ve been able to do that really well.”
McIlroy, who has never trailed in two days, needs only a draw with English 32nd seed Matthew Fitzpatrick to advance.
Brandt Snedeker never trailed in beating 14-time major champion Woods 2&1 to share the lead in an all-American group with Patrick Cantlay, who beat Aaron Wise 4&2.
For any chance to reach the weekend in his first Match Play start since 2013, three-time winner Woods must beat Cantlay and have Wise defeat or draw Snedeker.
“We both made a couple of mistakes out there but he made a few less mistakes than I did,” Woods said. “All I can do is hopefully get a point and see if that’s good enough.”
Woods made an incredible third shot at the 10th hole on his knees, knocking the ball from underneath a huge bush some 32 feet to just four feet from the cup and halved the hole.
“My own kids were probably rooting for him,” Snedeker admitted.
Snedeker sank a nine-foot birdie putt at the par-5 17th for a 2-up lead and halved 17 to seal the victory.
England’s second-seeded Justin Rose was 3-down with four holes remaining but charged back with long birdie putts to halve with compatriot Eddie Pepperell on a day when 17 of 32 matches went to the 18th hole.
Rose birdied to win the 15th from 13 feet, sank a 23-footer at the par-3 17th to stay in the match, then closed the duel on a tense 10footer at 18 to finish level.
Rose must beat US 22nd seed Gary Woodland, a 1-up winner over Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo to advance.
Watson was eliminated with a 2&1 loss to fellow American Billy Horschel while 12th seed Day, a two-time champion, was ousted with his second defeat, falling 4&3 to Sweden’s Henrik Stenson.
Stenson plays Jim Furyk, who eliminated five-time major winner Phil Mickelson 1-up, to decide a spot in the last 16.
South Africa’s 40th-seeded Branden Grace beat World No 1 Dustin Johnson 1-up. A 38-foot birdie putt at 17 by Grace proved the difference after Johnson missed a 17-foot birdie putt at 18.
“It’s always nice to beat the No 1 player in the world,” said Grace, who can do no worse than a playoff with Johnson — who must beat Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama and have Grace lose to American Chez Reavie to force it.
China’s Li Haotong edged US third seed Brooks Koepka 1-up to eliminate the reigning US Open and PGA champion from title contention.
Haotong said: “It was incredible. I didn’t expect that.
“I was in some bad positions today, but I felt I stayed patient, did that very well.”