Austin [US], March 24 (ANI): Korean star Sungjae Im romped to a trendy 8 and 6 victory over American Maverick McNealy because the Asian brigade loved a stellar opening day on the World Golf Championships Match Play.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler launched his title defence with a hard-fought 1-up win over Davis Riley whereas second-seed Jon Rahm fell to a 2 and 1 loss to a resurgent Rickie Fowler.
Countrymen Si Woo Kim and debutant Tom Kim secured 4 and three, and a pair of and 1 wins over Chris Kirk of the U.S. and Sweden’s Alex Noren respectively whereas Japanese star Hideki Matsuyama floor out a 1-up victory over former champion Kevin Kisner at Austin Country Club.The solely Asian golfer to endure an opening-day loss within the first of three round-robin group matches was Ok.H. Lee, who fell 3 and 1 to left-handed American Brian Harman.
The 24-year-old Im registered the third-largest margin of victory within the historical past of the event as he capitalised on McNealy’s erratic play which included 5 bogeys by way of 12 holes. Im, making his third look within the Dell Technologies Match Play, hit three birdies which proved enough to place him firmly in charge of his personal future as he seeks to advance past the group stage for the primary time in his third look on the occasion.
“I was able to win by a huge margin, and it is always better to win fast in match play. Maverick missed some shots and his game was not quite on track, it was not a good day for him. That enabled me to win easily. I have two more days to go, so I’ll try my best,” stated the World No. 18, who faces J.T. Poston in his subsequent match.
“It is important to win the first match, although it is always unpredictable in the group stage. Even though you have two wins, you might not advance. I will try to focus until the end. I will be playing with J.T. tomorrow and I think he will not make many mistakes,” added Im, who improved his event document to 3-4-0.
With his proper arm tapped as a precaution, Tom Kim loved a successful debut over Europe’s Ryder Cup stalwart, Noren. The 20-year-old Kim made six birdies to finish the match on the seventeenth gap.
“It was definitely an up-and-down match. It wasn’t easy. I had some mistakes that I could have fixed, but I played really well. And Alex definitely is a fighter and I knew that, and I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I just kind of kept my head down,” stated Kim.
The gifted teen starred on the Presidents Cup final September by producing some clutch golf and is aware of the expertise will come in useful within the Match Play as he seeks his third PGA Tour victory in his blossoming profession.
“It was definitely a good experience for me. I think it’s an event that I’ve always wanted to play, and definitely with the pressure that I’ve built up from the Presidents Cup I feel like it’s a great experience, and definitely using it this week, ” stated Kim, who received two factors for the International Team final fall.
Si Woo Kim, who has superior past the group stage solely as soon as in six earlier makes an attempt, produced some flawless golf together with a chip-in eagle two on the par-4 thirteenth gap from 25 yards en path to his conquer Kirk. He made 5 different birdies.
“I was just trying to play my own game and it worked. Started the first few holes well, driving the ball well, and my irons and putting also felt comfortable. I think that’s why I finished nicely. It’s important to win the first match. If you lose, you then lose confidence and concentration. With this start, I’m excited and it gives me more energy. The eagle two on 13 was really nice, and it felt great,” stated Kim.
Matsuyama, an eight-time PGA Tour winner, was delighted to tug off a gap win over match-play professional Kisner, who received in Austin in 2019 and completed runner-up twice as properly. His preparation for this week’s US$20 million showpiece was restricted on account of a neck pressure. (ANI)