Westwood ousts Spieth with big shots down stretch

Lee Westwood came up with two big shots and took down Masters champion Jordan Spieth Friday as the new World Golf ChampionshipsMatch Play Championship felt like the old one.

This was elimination day at TPC Harding Park in San Francisco — through matches, one sudden-death playoff and tiebreakers. And there was the usual dose of irritation for those going home.

Westwood staved that off in a compelling match with Spieth, who he referred to as “the best player in the world at the moment.”

They were all square when Spieth chipped in for birdie on the 15th, and Westwood halved the hole with a 10-foot putt. Westwood hit out of a bunker and clear over the green on the 16th, only to halve the hole by chipping in for par.

“He played 17 and 18 better than I did,” Spieth said.

Westwood hit 6-iron to 12 feet and made birdie on the 17th and then won when Spieth failed to make birdie on the final hole and conceded Westwood’s birdie. Louis Oosthuizen, Gary Woodland, Danny Willett of England and Hunter Mahan also went 3-0 in group play to advance. So did Rickie Fowler and John Senden, who won matches Friday that didn’t matter.

Other tournaments

Insperity Invitational: Marco Dawson and Michael Allen each shot 6-under 66 to share the first-round lead in this Champions Tour event at The Woodlands, Texas. Dawson had seven birdies and a bogey. He won the Conquistadores Classic in March in Tucson, Arizona, for his first victory on the 50-and-over tour. Allen also had seven birdies and a bogey.

LPGA North Texas Shootout: Brooke Henderson shot a 6-under 65 in Irving, Texas, giving this 17-year-old Canadian the lead going into the weekend for the second week in a row. Henderson had a bogey-free round to reach 8under 134 total, a stroke ahead of 2013 winner Inbee Park (66) and Juli Inkster (69).