Garcia’s playoff ace beats Westwood at WGC Match Play

WASHINGTON: Sergio Garcia aced the par-3 fourth hole to beat Lee Westwood in a playoff on Friday and reach the WGC Match Play Championship knockout rounds while top-ranked Dustin Johnson departed.

Garcia hit a 9-iron at the 160yard fourth and the 39th-seeded Spaniard, who sank a testy eightfoot par putt at the third to stay in the playoff, never even saw it roll back into the cup to defeat the English 18th seed at Austin (Texas) Country Club.

“Hole-in-one is amazing. It was a great shot,” said Garcia.

“Hit a great 9-iron. With the glare I couldn’t see. I saw it bounced past the hole. When we heard the people go crazy, we knew it was in. That was a nice way to finish it.”

Westwood had beaten English eighth seed Tyrrell Hatton 4&3 to reach the playoff after Garcia lost 3&2 to English 51st seed Matt Wallace.

“Well, 28 years on tour and I thought I’d seen everything.

“I hadn’t!” Westwood tweeted after the playoff, one of eight tiebreakers needed to decide groups.

Garcia was among 16 who advanced to the first knockout matches, held late yesterday.

Three of the bottom five seeds reached the weekend but the only top-16 player to advance was Spanish third seed Jon Rahm, who sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to beat US 24th seed Ryan Palmer.

“It was not easy. He was the one playing the better golf,” said Rahm.

“The whole day felt like a playoff, but I hit a good shot on two and made the putt.”

Top-ranked Masters champion Johnson was eliminated with a 1up loss to US 28th seed Kevin Na, who won three of the last four holes with birdies.

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre drove the 18th green from 371 yards to within three feet of the cup and the 41st seed rolled in a birdie putt to halve with US 61st seed Adam Long and advance to the knockout stage.

Unbeaten English 60th seed Ian Poulter, a European Ryder Cup legend and WGC and World Match Play winner, beat US 46th seed Lanto Griffin 2&1

English 21st seed Tommy Fleetwood, 4-up after seven holes, sank a 14-foot birdie putt to halve the par-5 16th and held on to edge US fifth seed Bryson DeChambeau 1 up, advancing with two wins and a draw.

US 52nd seed Matt Kuchar beat 2019 winner Kevin Kisner, the US 34th seed, 2&1 to book a knockout match against US 49th seed Jordan Spieth.