Spieth and Day avoid Match Play drama
AUSTIN — Jordan Spieth had another stress-free day in the Dell Match Play, avoiding some of the drama the 18th hole provided on Thursday.
So did Jason Day, whose back felt strong enough to drive the first green at 381 yards with a helping wind.
Fifteen matches went the distance at Austin Country Club, and there was no shortage of surprises. Daniel Berger never finished against Phil Mickelson when his club hit a rock structure on the way down. Justin Rose and Rickie Fowler escaped with half-points.
It all set the stage for Friday when all but 16 players from the 64-man field leave town. Already, 22 players have been mathematically eliminated.
Spieth again built a big lead and lost only one hole in a 5-and-4 victory over Victor Dubuisson of France. He has played 30 holes in his two victories, and needs only to halve his match Friday against Jus- tin Thomas to reach the round of 16.
Day ended any suspense about his back injury — first by showing up, then by hitting his opening drive to 12 feet on the 381-yard first hole. He was headed to a 5-and-3 victory over Thongchai Jaidee, which put him in the same position as Spieth.
“If I didn’t play today, I was going to pull out of the tournament totally,” Day said. “I wasn’t going to come back on Friday. I may as well get the rest and recovery and try to get ready for Augusta. I was playing against Thongchai. I felt like if I went there and played some golf, I could get him.
“Fortunately for me, I played some good golf,” he said. “There wasn’t one shot where I felt it today, which was good.”
Rory McIlroy also got through in a wild match with Smylie Kaufman in which they didn’t halve a hole until No. 7. McIlroy won on the 17th hole. —