Rahm ousted, Scheffler and McIlroy sail ahead at Match Play
>>AUSTIN: Second-ranked Spaniard Jon Rahm was eliminated after Friday’s group stage finales at the WGC Match Play Championship while defending champion Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy advanced.
Rahm, a three-time PGA winner this year, lost to 2021 WGC Match Play champion Billy Horschel 5&4 at Austin Country Club in Texas, where 16 group winners, 12 of them Americans, advanced to knockout rounds.
Rahm didn’t make a birdie and became the only top-six seed ousted in group play as Horschel never trailed in delivering the Spaniard’s second defeat.
“To succeed on a hole-by-hole basis, on a swing-by-swing basis and just add those good swings up one after another, puts a lot of confidence in that tank that I’ve needed for a little bit of time now,” reigning Memorial champion Horschel said.
Scheffler beat South Korean 17th seed Tom Kim 3&2 to win his group at a perfect 3-0.
Reigning Masters champion Scheffler, who won the Players Championship earlier this month, booked a last-16 berth against US 43rd seed JT Poston.
“I’m just trying to go out and hit good shots, keep doing what I’m doing and executing,” Scheffler said. “I’ve seen some good results recently and I’m hoping to keep that going moving forward.”
McIlroy, the 2015 Match Play winner, never trailed in beating US 20th seed Keegan Bradley 3&2 to reach the last 16.
The four-time major winner from Northern Ireland won the fourth and fifth holes with birdies and the seventh on a Bradley bogey then played level from there to start 3-0.
“As every day goes by... the more and more confidence I’m getting with it, which is great,” McIlroy said.
“I struck the ball well and sort of got up early, kept pressure on Keegan. It was nice to get through to the weekend.”
Next for McIlroy is Australian 46th seed Lucas Herbert, who never trailed in beating US 62nd seed Ben Griffin 3&1 to finish 3-0.
Herbert sank a 20-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th and a 17-foot birdie at the par-3 17th to advance.
Kuchar ties Tiger mark
US 59th seed Matt Kuchar, the oldest entrant at 44, edged South Korea’s Kim Si-Woo 7&6 to advance. The 2013 Match Play champion equalled the event record set by Tiger Woods with his 36th match win.
“To tie Tiger’s mark, I don’t know if I have words to put that into perspective,” Kuchar said. “I’m hugely proud, grateful, kind of shell-shocked to be in the same sentence with him.”
Kuchar will next face Australian 32nd seed Jason Day, the 2014 and 2016 winner who beat US two-time major champion Collin Morikawa 4&3 to stay perfect.
Kurt Kitayama won a three-man play-off to reach a last-16 date with fellow American Andrew Putnam. AFP
SCORES
Group 1: Scottie Scheffler (USA) bt Tom Kim (KOR) 3&2; Alex Noren (SWE) and Davis Riley (USA) tied
Group 2: Billy Horschel (USA) bt Jon Rahm (ESP) 5&4; Rickie Fowler (USA) bt Keith Mitchell (USA) 1 up
Group 3: Scott Stallings (USA) bt Denny McCarthy (USA) 1 up; Rory McIlroy (NIR) bt Keegan Bradley (USA) 3&2
Group 4: Nick Taylor (CAN) bt Lee Kyoung-Hoon (KOR) 3&2; Patrick Cantlay (USA) bt Brian Harman (USA) 2&1
Group 5: Max Homa (USA) bt Hideki Matsuyama (JPN) walkover; Kevin Kisner (USA) bt Justin Suh (USA) 2 up
Group 6: Xander Schauffele (USA) bt Tom Hoge (USA) 1 up; Cam Davis (AUS) bt Aaron Wise (USA) 1 up
Group 7: Ryan Fox (NZL) bt Will Zalatoris (USA) walkover; Andrew Putnam (USA) bt Harris English (USA) 4&3
Group 8: Viktor Hovland (NOR) bt Chris Kirk (USA) 4&3; Matt Kuchar (USA) bt Kim Si-Woo (KOR) 7&6
Group 9: Victor Perez (FRA) bt Adam Svensson (CAN) 5&4; Jason Day (AUS) bt Collin Morikawa (USA) 4&3
Group 10: Kurt Kitayama (USA) bt Tony Finau (USA) 4&3; Adrian Meronk (POL) bt Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA) 5&4; Kitayama won play-off over Meronk with birdie on second extra hole, Finau out after bogey on first hole
Group 11: Sahith Theegala (USA) bt Matt Fitzpatrick (ENG) 2&1; JJ Spaun (USA) bt Min Woo Lee (AUS) 2&1
Group 12: Mackenzie Hughes (CAN) bt Taylor Montgomery (USA) 6&4; Shane Lowry (IRL) bt Jordan Spieth (USA) 2&1; Hughes bt Montgomery in play-off with birdie on first extra hole
Group 13: Sam Burns (USA) bt Seamus Power (IRL) 2 up; Adam Hadwin (CAN) bt Adam Scott (AUS) 3&2
Group 14: Russell Henley (USA) bt Tyrrell Hatton (ENG) 3&2; Lucas Herbert (AUS) bt Ben Griffin (USA) 3&1
Group 15: Cameron Young (USA) bt Sepp Straka (AUT) 5&3; Corey Conners (CAN) bt Davis Thompson (USA) 2&1
Group 16: Im Sung-Jae (KOR) bt Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 4&3; JT Poston (USA) bt Maverick McNealy (USA) 3&1