DJ, Rahm on to semis
Mickelson ousted in Match Play
Dustin Johnson answered a rare challenge and Jon Rahm delivered another early knockout yesterday to advance to the semifinals of the Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas, staying on track for a potential showdown between No. 1 in the world and golf’s brightest new star. Johnson has looked so unbeatable this week that he led all 71 holes he had played until he lost a 3-up lead at the turn and was all square in his quarterfinal match when
Alex Noren of Sweden holed a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 12.
Johnson answered with three birdies in four holes and won, 3 and 2.
Rahm was so dominant he played only 27 holes in two matches, and none of his last three matches have gone beyond the 14th hole. The 22-year-old rookie from Spain still hasn’t played the 18th hole. After a 6 and 4 win over
Charles Howell III in the morning fourth round, he was even better in a 7 and 5 win over Soren Kjeldsen. Rahm said only his 65 in the final round at Torrey Pines was a better brand of golf.
“The golf I’ve played the last three matches really has been very impressive, even to myself,” he said. “And it seemed to get better as I played, which is something that doesn’t happen often.”
Rahm faces a semifinal match this morning against Bill Haas, who ended Phil
Mickelson’s hopes with a 2 and 1 victory in the quarterfinals. Mickelson had advanced to the quarters for the first time in 13 years with a win against Marc Leishman.
Mickelson never trailed in any match until he fell behind on the first hole to Haas, and he never led when the match ended on the 17th hole.
“I struggled making the putts that I have been making all week,” Mickelson said. “That seemed to me to be the difference.”
Johnson, going after a third straight PGA Tour title, faces one of this tournament’s biggest surprises in Hideko Tanihara of Japan. Tanihara began the week by beating Jordan Spieth. Yesterday, he took down Paul
Casey with two late birdies, and then Ross Fisher, 4 and 2, to reach the semifinals.
“He looks unbeatable,” Tanihara said. “I hope he doesn’t feel good tomorrow, so maybe I have a chance.”
Johnson has looked unstoppable all month.
He went to No. 1 in the world with a 5-shot victory at Riviera. In his next start, he won the Mexico Championship after holding off a late rally from Rahm. Now he’s two victories away from becoming the first player to sweep the four World Golf Championships.
None of Johnson’s five matches has gone beyond the 16th hole. In the fourth round, he beat Zach Johnson, 5 and 4. Noren is the only player to really make him sweat, and that was Johnson’s doing.
Johnson went 3 up at the turn, and then it was gone. He 3-putted from 30 feet to lose the 10th hole. His tee shot on the par-3 11th hit the rocks and went into the water. And then he had to settle for par after leaving himself in an awkward spot, only to watch Noren hole a 40-footer to tie the match.
Johnson holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 13th — Noren missed from 8 feet — and then began to pull away with another 10-foot birdie on 15.
“That putt on 13 I think was a big one,” Johnson said. “That was just outside of him, and to hole that putt, put a little pressure on him, and then he missed it, I think that was a pretty important shot.”
Stroud eyes first
Chris Stroud birdied his final hole to cap off a 5-under 67 and take a 1-shot lead in the Puerto Rico Open in Rio Grande as he goes for his first PGA Tour victory.
One shot behind was a pair of past PGA Tour winners,
Bill Lunde and D.A. Points, who each shot 69.
Stroud was at 15-under 201 and has more than just Lunde and Points to worry about. Ten players were within 3 shots of the lead. Andrew “Beef” Johnston was among those 2 shots behind.
Lee takes Kia lead
Mirim Lee shot a 5-under 67 in the third round of the Kia Classic in Carlsbad, Calif., to go to 13-under and take a 1-shot lead over Mi Jung
Hur, who made a 67-foot putt on No. 18 to card a 66. Another South Korean, In
Gee Chun, was tied at 10-under with Cristie Kerr, who shared the lead after the first round and was alone atop the leaderboard after 18 holes.