Selected results from Day 1:
Shock losses:
Jason Dufner (58) beat Rickie Fowler (5) – 2 and 1.
Robert Streb (49) beat Dustin Johnson (8).- 3 and 2.
Chris Kirk (54) beat Branden Grace (11) – 3 and 1.
Rafa Cabrera-Bello (52) beat Hideki Matsuyama (12) – 1-up.
Emilio Grillo (33) beat JB Holmes (21) – 3 and 2.
Kiridech Aphibarnrat (37) beat Jimmy Walker (22) – 2 and 1.
Martin Kayner (44) beat Shane Lowry (24) – 1-up.
Thongchai Jaidee (26) beat Paul Casey (23) – 2 and 1.
Expected wins:
Jordan Spieth (1) beat Jamie Donaldson (51) – 3 and 2.
Jason Day (2) beat Graeme McDowell (62) – 3 and 2.
Rory McIlroy (30 beat Thorbjorn Olesen (64) – 1-up, McIlroy was 2-down through 13.
Patrick Reed (9) beat Dan Berger (53) – 1-up.
Sergio Garcia (13) beat Lee Westwood (29) – 1-up.
Zach Johnson (14) beat Marcus Fraser (60) – 4 and 3.
Louis Oosthuizen (16) beat Matt Jones (61) – 2 and 1.
Phil Mickelson (17) beat Matthew Fitzpatrick (42) – 5 and 4
Charl Schwartzel (19) beat Danny Lee (34) – 1-up.
Bill Haas (20) beat Chris Wood (41) – 2 and 1.
Matt Kuchar (28) beat Anirban Lahiri (48) – 6 and 5.
Surprising halves:
Bubba Watson (4) with Patton Kizzire (63) – Watson was 1-up through 17.
Adam Scott (6) with Thomas Pieters (55) – Scott was 2-up through 15.
Marc Leishman (25) with Ryan Moore (45). – Leishman was 1-up through 17.
Adam Scott, Jason Day and Bubba Watson are the in-form golfers in the 64-strong WGC Match Play field at the Austin Country Club in Florida this week.
Henrik Stenson, ranked seven, and Jim Furyk (16) are the only golfers missing among the world’s top 64 – a bonus for Patton Kizzire (65), and Thorbjorn Olesen (66), with Ian Poulter (67) and Gary Woodland (68) on standby.
Scott is on a golden streak, finishing second at the Northern Trust Open (12 under), winning the Honda Classic (nine under) and the WGC-Cadillac Championship (12 under), and tied for 12th at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (nine under).
DAY HAS INJURY SCARE AT WGC MATCHPLAY
Day has had a stop-start season after the birth of his second child, so his last start is the only one worth mentioning, and well worth it: he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational at 17-under.
Watson is very much a danger man, too, having won the Northern Trust (15 under) and finishing second at the WGC-Cadillac Championship (11 under).
World number three and defending champion Rory McIlroy and world number one Jordan Spieth have had a rugged run of late, and will need to improve dramatically to even move out of their respective groups to the round of 16.
For the first three days, each golfer plays three matches in his selected group with group winners moving into the round of 16.
Group 1:
Jordan Spieth (1), Justin Thomas (31), Victor Dubuisson (39), Jamie Donaldson (51).
Group 2:
Jason Day (2), Paul Casey (23), Thongchai Jaidee (36), Graeme McDowell (62).
Group 3:
Rory McIlroy (3), Kevin Na (26), Thorbjorn Olesen (34), Smylie Kaufman (46).
Group 4:
Bubba Watson (4), JB Holmes (21), Emilio Grillo (33), Patton Kizzire (63).
Group 5:
Rickie Fowler (5), Byeong-Hun An (23), Scott Piercy (47), Jason Dufner (53).
Group 6:
Adam Scott (6), Bill Haas (30), Chris Wood (41), Thomas Pieters (55).
Group 7:
Justin Rose (7), Matt Kuchar (28), Anirban Lahiri (48), Fabian Gomez (57).
Group 8:
Dustin Johnson (8), Jimmy Walker (22), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (37), Robert Streb (49).
Group 9:
‘Patrick Reed (9), Phil Mickelson (17), Matthew Fitzpatrick (42), Dan Berger (53).
Group 10:
Danny Willett (10), Brooks Koepka (18), Billy Horschel (40), Jaco vanZyl (50).
Group 11:
Brandon Grace (11), Russell Knox (32), David Lingmerth (38), Chris Kirk (54).
Group 12:
Hideki Matsuyama (12), Kevin Kisner (20),Soren Kjeldsen (43), Rafa Cabrera-Bello (52).
Group 13:
Sergio Garcia(13), Marc Leishman (25), Ryan Moore (45), Lee Westwood (59).
Group 14:
Zach Johnson (14), Shane Lowry (24), Martin Kaymer (44), Marcus Fraser (60).
Group 15:
Brandt Snedeker (15), Charl Schwartzel (18), Danny Lee (34), Charley Hoffman (56).
Group 16:
Louis Oosthuizen (16), Andy Sullivan (29),Bernd Wiesberger (35), Matt Jones (61.
The draw for the round of 16 and beyond:
1 versus 16
8 versus 9
5 versus 12
4 versus 13
6 versus 11
3 versus 14
7 versus 10
2 versus 15.
It’s a par 71 course but look forward to some sensational golf with four par fives reachable in two, and a drivable par four.
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