Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy superior to the knockout stage, Jon Rahm failed to affix them and Kurt Kitayama and Mackenzie Hughes gained playoffs on Friday on the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas.
On the third and remaining day of the group stage, Scheffler andMcIlroy have been amongst 12 of the 16 group winners to complete with an ideal 3-0-0 mark. Scheffler, the occasion’s defending champion, beat Tom Kim of South Korea 3-and-2 to win Group 1. McIlroy of Northern Ireland beat Keegan Bradley by the identical rating to lock up Group 3.
“I’m not overthinking things,” Scheffler stated. “I haven’t thought about last year once this week. Just glad to get through my group and focus on (Saturday).”
Sixty-four gamers started the occasion at Austin Country Club in 16 round-robin teams. Each golfer performed a match towards the opposite three within the group, and solely the winner moved on to the 16-man, single-elimination knockout stage that begins Saturday.
Joining No. 1 seed Scheffler and No. 3 McIlroy within the bracket are No. 4 Patrick Cantlay, No. 5 Max Homa, No. 6 Xander Schauffele, No. 13 Sam Burns, No. 15 Cam Young, No. 19 Kitayama, No. 22 Billy Horschel, No. 32 Jason Day of Australia, No. 43 J.T. Poston, No. 46 Lucas Herbert of Australia, No. 50 Hughes of Canada, No. 56 Andrew Putnam, No. 59 Matt Kuchar and No. 61 J.J. Spaun.
Group 10 concluded with a three-way tie at 2-1-0 that includes Kitayama, Tony Finau and Poland’s Adrian Meronk. The ensuing playoff started on the par-4 first gap, the place Finau dedicated a double bogey to drop out and Kitayama and Meronk superior with pars. At the par-4 second, Kitayama made birdie and Meronk could not match it.
“I just haven’t really been in a playoff like that, winner goes on type of thing,” stated Kitayama, who gained the Arnold Palmer Invitational earlier this month for his first PGA Tour title. “So whenever you get uncomfortable like that, you try and go back on the things that help you gain a little more comfortability.”
It was an identical story in Group 12, the place Hughes and Taylor Montgomery tied at 2-1-0 after Montgomery beat Hughes 6-and-4 in Friday’s scheduled match. Hughes acquired revenge by birdieing the primary playoff gap whereas Montgomery bogeyed.
Horschel blitzed No. 2 seed Rahm 5-and-4 to complete Group 2 motion 2-0-1. That was sufficient to beat Rickie Fowler, who completed that group 2-1-0, and Rahm, who had misplaced to Fowler in addition to Horschel.
Kuchar, the oldest participant within the subject at 44, dominated Si Woo Kim of South Korea 7-and-6 Friday. That not solely allowed Kuchar to lock up Group 8 at 2-0-1, but in addition marked his thirty sixth match victory on the WGC-Match Play, tying Tiger Woods’ match file.
“There’s 300 more records, I’m sure, to go,” Kuchar stated, “but it’s a fun one to be able to say you’ve kind of got something you tied Tiger with.”
Homa superior when Hideki Matsuyama of Japan conceded their Friday match, withdrawing with a neck damage.
The knockout stage will start Saturday with the Round of 16:
–Scottie Scheffler vs. J.T. Poston
–Jason Day vs. Matt Kuchar
–Max Homa vs. Mackenzie Hughes
–Sam Burns vs. Patrick Cantlay
–Billy Horschel vs. Cam Young
–Kurt Kitayama vs. Andrew Putnam
–Xander Schauffele vs. J.J. Spaun
–Rory McIlroy vs. Lucas Herbert
–Field Level Media