McIlroy's comeback highlights Day 3 at Cadillac Match Play..Spieth, Watson out

WGC Cadillac Match Play scoreboard http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/cadillac-match-play/livescoring.html

As expected Friday was full of drama, an while the format has changed this year, the results were much the same as 8 of the world's top 10 were sent packing at this WGC Cadillac Match Play..

AP..Top of the list was Rory McIlroy who was facing elimination until he holed a 20-foot putt on the 17th to stay in the game. Another birdie followed to send it to overtime. And after another poor chip by Billy Horschel, McIlroy was on his way to the round of 16.

Horschel will be kicking himself after he really blew this one after he missed his birdie putt to win the match on 17 then he chipped too strong and missed another birdie putt that would have won the match on the 18th. Horschel squandered yet another birdie opportunity on the par-5 first hole after a perfect tee shot. And then on the par-3 second, he chipped too strong again and missed an 8-foot par putt that gave McIlroy the match.

 

Masters champion Jordan Spieth wasn’t so fortunate. Neither was Bubba Watson, Justin Rose, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia as I said, only two of the top 10 seeds ,McIlroy and Jim Furyk  reached the round of 16 that starts today with single-elimination.

Spieth was all square in a back-and-forth match with Lee Westwood that featured chip-ins for halves on consecutive holes. Westwood delivered the clutch shot with a 6-iron to 12 feet for birdie on the 17th, and Spieth failed to birdie the 18th.

Furyk had to go 20 holes to beat Martin Kaymer, and then he went one extra hole as a spectator with plenty at stake. Furyk was only assured of winning his four-man group if George Coetzee beat Thongchai Jaidee. The South African won in 21 holes, and Furyk advanced because he beat Coetzee on Wednesday.

More Friday highlights

- Twelve players who won their groups went 3-0.

 

- Four players who advanced were the lowest seed in their group, with John Senden (No. 60) easily advancing with a perfect record.

 

- Tommy Fleetwood of England had to play 58 holes to reach the round of 16 in his first Match Play Championship. Hunter Mahan also was 3-0 and still hasn’t seen the final three holes in any of his matches. Mahan, a past champion of this event, has played only 41 holes.

 

- McIlroy, Westwood, Gary Woodland and Louis Oosthuizen all won matches between players who had not lost. Oosthuizen struck a blow by beating Bubba Watson on the first extra hole

 

- Fleetwood, Branden Grace and J.B. Holmes all advanced after losing their matches Wednesday. Holmes beat Brooks Koepka, who was eliminated in a tiebreaker. Grace, Zach Johnson and Charley Hoffman all finished 2-1, and Grace won with a birdie on the third extra hole.

 

- Rickie Fowler and Senden won their matches, even though they already were set for the round of 16.

 

Westwood and Spieth 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, flubbed a chip and then halved the hole by chipping in for par.

 

“I walked up to 17 and said, `We’re even.’ And he played 17 and 18 better than I did,” Spieth said.

Westwood hit 6-iron to 12 feet and gave a baby fist pump – rare emotion for the Englishman – when he made birdie, which spoke to the quality of the match

(notes from pgatour,com, europeantour.com)