Thomas on verge of world domination after Austin heroics
Justin Thomas remains on course to become world No. 1 af ter coasting into the quarter-finals of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin.
The American needs to win the Texas tournament to replace Dustin Johnson at the top of the world rankings.
Thomas followed on from his 7& 5 demolition of Francesco Mol inari in the round- robin matches to record an equally impressive 6& 5 victory over South Korean Si Woo Kim.
The No.2 seed quickly went two up after winning both the second and third holes in the last-16 showdown, while Kim’s hopes were all but ended as he fell five down at the turn.
Kim sank a birdie on the par-three 11th, only for Thomas to match it before taking the next hole and then closing out the victory with a half at the 13th.
Thomas said: “I just played really well again. I made some good putts, a lot of those short to mid- range putts. It wasn’t anything crazy or special.
“Just played solid golf tee to green. And it was forcing him to make a lot of putts.”
Thomas was due to be back out at the Austin Country Club later last night to meet Kyle Stanley for a place in the semi-finals.
American Stanley had earlier pulled off a 3&1 win over 2017 Masters champion Sergio Garcia.
He wa s j o ined in the qua r t er - f ina l s by fel low countryman Bubba Watson.
The 35th seed was behind Brian Harman early but turned things around by winning four out of five holes around the halfway point turn to seize control.
Watson said his approach to match play was similar to stroke play - try to shoot a good score rather than worry about his opponent’s game.
He said: “We’re just focused on birdies. If we shoot 67 every day and get beat, we get beat.
“All in all, it was a great day. I made some key putts.”
Wa t s on’s qu a r t e r - f i n a l opponent was K i ra dech Aphibarnrat, who came from behind to edge Charles Howell. Aphibarnrat was never ahead until the very end when the Thai 28th seed rolled in eight- foot birdies at the final two holes to snatch victory.
The 28-year- old said: “I was th i nk ing , ‘ Hopeful ly the putter will be rolling well the last couple of holes.’ The last two birdies were incredible.
“I just want to enjoy every single minute I spend in Austin.”
Elsewhere, Ian Poulter took another step towards qualifying for Augusta after beating Louis Oosthuizen 2&1.
He complimented the South African after he had to stave off a late comeback by out-putting his opponent before securing the win.
Poulter said: “I’m buzzing. I had adrenaline out there to get it done.
“It was a tough match for that reason. There was a lot on the line.
“I knew I had to get up. I was up. And then it’s obviously hard to close out when Louis has obviously got nothing to lose being dormie and throwing birdies at it.”
Poulter is likely to need at least a semi-final spot to have a chance of climbing into the world’s top 50 by tomorrow’s deadline.
Alexander Noren also advanced to the quarters with an impressive 5& 3 triumph over American Patrick Reed.
Noren said: “You’ve got to be a little more aggressive maybe, a little bit more into the game than a normal event.”
Kev in K i sner was h i s opponent in the last eight, after he edged out Matt Kuchar on the final hole.
In the al l- American battle Kisner sank a 10-foot birdie at the last to end the round 1-up.
He said: “I think the needles were with the birdies. Every hole was a birdie. “We had fun out there.” Australian 46th seed Cameron Smith upset 12th seed Tyrrell Hatton 2&1 to claim a surprise slot in the last eight.
Smith said: “The greens were a little bit softer. So it was nice for some good scoring.”