Rory is out despite winning without a shot
family matter”, leaving Kjeldsen who would have played Woodland on Friday - needing only to halve his match with Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo to advance to the last 16.
And Kjeldsen, who had never previously won a match in the tournament, won four holes in succession from the 10th on his way to a 4&3 victory to book his place in the knockout stages.
A statement released by Woodland’s management company read: “Due to a personal family matter, Gary Woodland must withdraw from the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. We ask that you respect his family’s privacy at this time.”
Speaking after his round, Kjeldsen told reporters: “I’m very pleased, but actually not happy about Gary and what’s going on with Gary. I don’t know the details, but Gary is one of the nicest guys out here. So we wish him all the best, and his family all the best. I was in a very, very, very tough group. And I got through that.”
A day after defending champion Jason Day pulled out of the event to spend time with his mother as she undergoes treatment for lung cancer, Italy’s Francesco Molinari also withdrew with a wrist injury after suffering a 5&3 defeat to Thongchai Jaidee.
That meant Sweden’s Alex Noren, who was due to play Molinari on Friday, was guaranteed to advance from group eight having beaten Bernd Wiesberger 3&2 to claim his second win of the week.
In contrast, Masters champion Danny Willett was eliminated with a game to spare after being thrashed 6&5 by American Bill Haas, while world No1 Dustin Johnson made it two wins out of two by beating Martin Kaymer 3&2. THE Annual Outlane Golf Club Yellow Peril proved a special event for the depleted three-man team of Roger Patrice, Dean Williams and Kevan Sykes.
The trio managed to win against all the other teams who had four players.
The competition is called a Yellow Peril as each player has the yellow ball in turn for each hole and this ball has to count with any of the other three players players best score on the same hole.
The margin came down to a single point as their score of 89 stableford points was one better than the second placed team of Steve McNair, Paul Thomas, Paul Smallman and Martyn Dickenson.
The runners-up must have thought 88 points would be enough to take the honours in the competition which also included another outstanding piece of golf when Mark Blackwell had an albatross for his team on the second hole to register an individual five point score for his team. PICTURED at the Yorkshire Golf Club managers association’s AGM held at the Alwoodley Golf Club are (from left) Ian Brogden Cleckheaton GC, the incoming Yorkshire GCMA Captain for 2017, next the out-going captain David Crossley Hull GC and Cameron Dawson, the Yorkshire region manager, who has also been elected as the National GCMA Captain for 2018.