2021 WGC-Match Play leaderboard: Who’s moving on and who’s going home
Jordan Spieth hits his tee shot on Friday on the 16th hole at Austin Country Club.
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Sixty-four of the best players in the world are playing this week’s World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play. It’s just hard to tell who’s No. 1 and who’s No. 64. Half of the 16 round-robin groups went to a sudden-death playoff. Only one player in the top 16 advanced to the round of 16. And the No. 1 player did not move on — while the No. 64 player did. Here are three things you need to know after Friday’s play at Austin Country Club in Austin, Texas.
Who’s moving on and who’s going home?
A look at the 16 groups:
Group 1: Robert McIntyre advances. The entire group came down to the 18th hole on Friday. McIntyre drove the 346-yard hole on his way to eagling the hole and halving his match with Adam Long, while Kevin Na birdied 18 to defeat world No. 1 Dustin Johnson 1 up.
Group 2: Matt Kuchar advances. Kuchar, the runner-up in 2019, and Kevin Kisner, the winner two years ago (last year’s event was canceled due to the pandemic), were undefeated through the first two days. Kuchar won the first hole on Friday and held on to win 2 and 1.
Group 3: Jon Rahm advances. Rahm, the third seed, is the only player in the top 16 to advance. He defeated Ryan Palmer on the second hole of their sudden-death playoff, minutes after they halved their pool-play match.
Group 4: Billy Horschel advances. Horschel defeated Max Homa on the third hole of their sudden-death playoff.
Group 5: Tommy Fleetwood advances. Fleetwood defeated Bryson DeChambeau 1 up in pool play on Friday to advance.
Group 6: Scottie Scheffler advances. Scheffler defeated Xander Schauffele on the second hole of their sudden-death playoff, minutes after they halved their pool-play match.
Group 7: Bubba Watson advances. Watson defeated Joaquin Niemann on the second hole of their sudden-death playoff. In Friday’s pool play, Niemann won his first five holes against Patrick Reed and won 5 and 4.
Group 8: Sergio Garcia advances. Garcia defeated Lee Westwood on the fourth hole of their sudden-death playoff on a hole in one.
Dustin Johnson-Kevin Na exchange serves up match play awkwardness
Group 9: Mackenzie Hughes advances. In Friday’s pool play, Hughes halved with Talor Gooch after Gooch birdied the 18th hole.
Group 10: Brian Harman advances. Harman defeated Patrick Cantlay on the second hole of their sudden-death playoff. Harman and Cantlay each won their matches on Friday.
Group 11: Ian Poulter advances. Poulter moves on with a 3-0 pool-play record. Rory McIlroy finished 1-1-1.
Group 12: Dylan Frittelli advances. Frittelli moves on as the No. 64 seed.
Group 13: Kevin Streelman advances. Streelman defeated Abraham Ancer on the first hole of their sudden-death playoff. Ancer lost his Friday match 1-up to Viktor Hovland.
Group 14: Erik van Rooyen advances. Streelman defeated Daniel Berger on the second hole of their sudden-death playoff. Frittelli moves on as the No. 62 seed.
Group 15: Jordan Spieth advances. Spieth continued his recent strong play with a 3 and 2 win over Corey Conners in Friday pool play.
Group 16: Victor Perez advances. Perez won his Friday pool-play match 2 and 1 over Sungjae Im.
Saturday’s matchups
A look at Saturday’s round of 16 matchups:
8:35 a.m. – Tommy Fleetwood vs. Dylan Frittelli
8:46 a.m. – Billy Horschel vs. Kevin Streelman
8:57 a.m. – Sergio Garcia vs. Mackenzie Hughes
9:08 a.m. – Robert MacIntyre vs. Victor Perez
9:19 a.m. – Scottie Scheffler vs. Ian Poulter
9:30 a.m. – Jon Rahm vs. Erik van Rooyen
9:41 a.m. – Bubba Watson vs. Brian Harman
9:52 a.m. – Matt Kuchar vs. Jordan Spieth
The quarterfinals are scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET.
Sergio Garcia advances on hole-in-one
WATCH: Sergio Garcia wins Match Play playoff on a walk-off hole in one
Garcia and Westwood each took four shots apiece on the first three holes of their sudden-death playoff.
Each took one on the fourth.
Westwood hit his tee shot on the par-3 to 26 feet, then Garcia hit his to zero feet for a walk-off ace.
“I really don’t know what to say,” Garcia said after his round. “Obviously, yeah, a hole in one is amazing. But you know, the two putts I made on 2 and 3, massive, to keep myself going. And then obviously the shot on 4, it’s a great shot, but then you get lucky that first of all it doesn’t hit the flag because it must have been very close to hitting the flag, and then it rolls back in.
“Obviously very happy about that.”
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