END OF THE ROAD FOR SPIETH AND McILROY AT WGC MATCH PLAY
AUSTIN: World No. 4 Jordan Spieth and seventh-ranked Rory McIlroy were ousted from the WGC Match Play Championship with defeats in final group matches.
US 18th seed Brian Harman never trailed in dispatching McIlroy 5&3 and capturing his group with two wins and a draw.
Spieth was knocked out by US Ryder Cup partner Patrick Reed, who won their much anticipated match 2&1.
Reed, ranked 23rd in the world, never trailed and rolled in a 40-foot putt from off the 17th green to end Spieth’s hopes of a first title of 2018.
Both will now try to regroup with the first Major of the year, the Masters, two weeks away.
Sergio Garcia, tuning up for his Masters title defence at Augusta National, rallied from two down through 11 holes to beat rising US star Xander Schauffele 3&1 and reach the last 16.
“Xander played unbelievable on the front nine, tricky conditions, and he kept making good putt after good putt on me,” Garcia said.
“So I was just hoping to stay in it and give myself some chances as soon as he gave me a little opening on 12.
“And then I was able to make a great birdie on 13, 15 and 16,” added Garcia, who next faces American Kyle Stanley.
Thomas pummelled Italian Francesco Molinari 7&5 to set up a meeting with South Korean Kim Si-woo – a two-up winner over Webb Simpson.
The only thing Thomas could find to regret was that the match only lasted through 13 holes.
“Today I’d be really excited to see how low I could go,” said Thomas, who will take on Si-woo in the round of 16.
“I could post a serious number.”