WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play Day 2

WGC – Match Play 2021 R2
March 24-28
Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas
$10,500,000
Day 1, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5

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Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Dustin Johnson was two down with three holes to play when he fired an eagle then a birdie to take his match against Robert MacIntyre to the final hole but had to settle for a tie after both players missed birdie opportunities and parred the 18th.

WGC – Match Play 2021 R2

“It was a tough match,” said Johnson. “Ended up making a really good halve, and definitely pleased with it.”

“You know, he holed putts when he had to hole putts. He does that to win numerous majors. I’m young. I’ve got plenty of time ahead of me,” said MacIntyre. “Obviously I was dying to win that match. I was in such a great position to do it. But he threw everything at me, and I can be proud of finishing there all square, but obviously inside I’m a little disappointed not to win. But once we walk away from here and drive back to the house, it’s going to be, ‘You know what? I can compete with these best guys on the planet.”

WGC – Match Play 2021 R2

Cameron Smith made Ian Poulter work for his victory. He was three down with three to play, birdied the 16th, won the 17th and was hoping for a tie but Poulter sank a 15-foot birdie putt to clinch the victory.

“I’d like to get this feeling I have (in match play) every single week, and it’s not there,” said Poulter. “Having to hole putts, what I tried on 17, and coming down the last, it’s a great feeling to get the nerves and the adrenaline going. Match play does it.”

WGC – Match Play 2021 R2

Rory McIlroy recovered from his 6&5 defeat to Poulter on Wednesday and won his first three holes. Lanto Griffin recovered some ground with birdies at the 6th and 7th but McIlroy was 2-up again after birdies at the 8th and 10, then 3-up after Griffin took a penalty shot and conceded the 12th. He won his match 4 and 3.

“Lanto didn’t have his best stuff,” said McIlroy. “I played solid and kept it in play, holed some good putts when it mattered.”

WGC – Match Play 2021 R2

Matt Kuchar was 1-up over Louis Oosthuizen when a gust of wind send his tee shot at the 11th into a water hazard, then did the same to Oosthuizen. Neither recovered particularly well and both signed for double-bogey 5s.

“We halved the 11th with double bogeys. Both put it in the water, I had to get up-and-down for double bogey. It’s a crazy game that way,” said Kuchar. “It has been a very long time [since he halved a hole with a double-bogey]. That’s the unique thing about this game and certainly about match play.”

Kuchar also double-bogeyed the 8th but still finished 1-up.

“There was certainly a whole lot of ebb and flow,” said Kuchar. “I don’t think either Louis or I felt totally comfortable out there today. I think conditions were hard. Each of us had some struggles we were battling with.”

“Amazing how different today played than yesterday. That’s kind of the cool thing about golf, the cool thing about Austin Country Club, how things can change. Today, it felt like survival.”

WGC – Match Play 2021 R2

Group	Player		Score		Player
10	CANTLAY, Patrick	>	1UP		ORTIZ, Carlos
10	MATSUYAMA, Hideki		1UP	<	HARMAN, Brian
7	REED, Patrick	>	2&1		BEZUIDENHOUT, Christiaan
7	NIEMANN, Joaquin		Halved		WATSON, Bubba
15	FITZPATRICK, Matthew	>	5&4		CONNERS, Corey
15	WOLFF, Matthew		Halved		SPIETH, Jordan
2	THOMAS, Justin		2&1	<	KISNER, Kevin
2	OOSTHUIZEN, Louis		1UP	<	KUCHAR, Matt
12	FINAU, Tony		Halved		ZALATORIS, Will
12	KOKRAK, Jason		3&2	<	FRITTELLI, Dylan
5	DECHAMBEAU, Bryson	>	2&1		KIM, Si Woo
5	FLEETWOOD, Tommy	>	4&3		ROZNER, Antoine
13	HOVLAND, Viktor		4&2	<	WIESBERGER, Bernd
13	ANCER, Abraham	>	2&1		STREELMAN, Kevin
4	MORIKAWA, Collin		2&1	<	HOMA, Max
4	HORSCHEL, Billy		4&2	<	POSTON, J. T.
9	SIMPSON, Webb		4&3	<	HUGHES, Mackenzie
9	CASEY, Paul	>	3&2		GOOCH, Talor
8	HATTON, Tyrrell		3&2	<	GARCIA, Sergio
8	WESTWOOD, Lee	>	5&3		WALLACE, Matt
16	IM, Sungjae		2&1	<	LEISHMAN, Marc
16	PEREZ, Victor		4&3	<	HENLEY, Russell
1	JOHNSON, Dustin		Halved		MACINTYRE, Robert
1	NA, Kevin		2&1	<	LONG, Adam
11	MCILROY, Rory	>	4&3		GRIFFIN, Lanto
11	SMITH, Cameron		1UP	<	POULTER, Ian
6	SCHAUFFELE, Xander	>	2&1		DAY, Jason
6	SCHEFFLER, Scottie		Halved		SULLIVAN, Andy
14	BERGER, Daniel		2&1	<	TODD, Brendon
14	ENGLISH, Harris		2&1	<	VAN ROOYEN, Erik
3	RAHM, Jon	>	2UP		LOWRY, Shane
3	PALMER, Ryan	>	2&1		MUNOZ, Sebastian