The matches are once again underway Thursday at Austin Country Club as group play continues. Click here to see how the matches fared on the opening day and read below for a recap on the action from Day 2 in Texas. Also, click here for scoring and click here for pool play records.
Group 1
(40) Branden Grace def. (1) Dustin Johnson, 1 up: The tournament’s top seed is in jeopardy of being eliminated after dropping a match against Grace, a proven match play threat at the Presidents Cup. This was a back-and-forth affair in which neither player held more than a 1-up advantage, but it was Grace’s birdie on No. 17 that made the difference as he held on for par and the win on the next hole to move to 2-0 and within reach of the Round of 16.
(24) Hideki Matsuyama vs. (55) Chez Reavie, tied: Matsuyama took an early lead and led most of the match, but Reavie squared the match on the 17th and both made par on No. 18. It means both men move to 0-1-1 for the week, meaning that neither has a mathematical chance of advancing beyond the group stage.
Group 2
(2) Justin Rose vs. (34) Eddie Pepperell, tied: This all-England matchup went down to the wire, as Pepperell couldn’t hold on to a 3-up lead with five holes to play. Rose won Nos. 15 and 17 to cut into the deficit, then salvaged half a point with a birdie on No. 18. It sets up a decisive match Friday between Rose and Woodland, while Pepperell is eliminated at 0-1-1.
(22) Gary Woodland def. (53) Emiliano Grillo, 1 up: It was an important point for Woodland, who at 2-0 now sits atop the group with Rose still on deck. Grillo was 4 down through 11 before rallying back, but Woodland steadied the ship just in time as a par on 17 and birdie on 18 were good enough to eke out a narrow win.
Group 3
(36) Haotong Li def. (3) Brooks Koepka, 1 up: The struggles continued for the reigning Player of the Year, who is mathematically eliminated after going 0-1-1 over the first two days. Koepka never led in the match, as Li took a 2-up advantage at the turn and held on to post his second point. At 2-0, he needs only a draw against Lewis to advance to the Round of 16.
(27) Alex Noren def. Tom Lewis, 4 and 2: It’s been an uphill battle for Noren this year, but the Swede flashed some of his 2018 form in a decisive win against Lewis. Noren never trailed and could still possibly advance with a win over Koepka, as Lewis was eliminated on a day when he won only a single hole.
Group 4
(4) Rory McIlroy def. (47) Justin Harding, 3 and 2: McIlroy is still on cruise control, having won each of his first two matches in his first start since capturing The Players. Harding squared the match with a birdie on No. 9, but that was the one and only hole he won all day as McIlroy bounced back with three wins in a five-hole span from Nos. 12-16 to end things.
(64) Luke List def. (32) Matthew Fitzpatrick, 2 and 1: List was the last player to make the field, and now he’s on the board after notching a point that eliminated Fitzpatrick from advancing. List took his first lead of the day on the 13th, then closed out the Englishman with a birdie on No. 16 and a par on No. 17.
Group 5
(5) Justin Thomas def. (33) Matt Wallace, 3 and 1: Thomas was the highest-ranked player to lose on the opening day, but he balanced his record with a win over Wallace who now finds himself at 1-1. Thomas never trailed in the match winning Nos. 13 and 14 to turn a close contest into a win that ended when Wallace hit his tee shot into the junk on No. 17.
(31) Keegan Bradley vs. (50) Lucas Bjerregaard, tied: This was a result that pleased Bradley, given he had to win the 18th hole to secure a half point, but one that will benefit Bjerregaard far more. The Dane won his opening match against Thomas and now moves to 1-0-1 as he gets set to face Wallace in a match that will likely decide the group’s winner. Bradley can’t advance.
Group 6
(39) Kiradech Aphibarnrat def. (6) Bryson DeChambeau, 2 and 1: Aphibarnrat scored a full point against the group’s top seed, having tied the match on No. 4 and never trailing again. DeChambeau drew even with a birdie on the 12th but Aphibarnrat won the next two holes to re-take the lead. The result means both men move to 1-1 and head into the final day of matches looking up at Leishman in the group standings.
(17) Marc Leishman def. (59) Russell Knox, 2 up: Leishman won the fifth hole to tie the match, took a lead on No. 7 and never looked back. The narrow win lifts the Aussie to 2-0 and puts him in control of the group heading into his match with DeChambeau, while Knox knows he’s going home after losing each of the first two days.
Group 7
(7) Francesco Molinari def. (45) Thorbjorn Olesen, 4 and 3: This match between former Ryder Cup teammates went to the man who went 5-0 in Paris, as Molinari cruised for the second straight day. Olesen didn’t win a hole until No. 9, at which point he could only cut Molinari’s advantage to 3 up, and at 2-0 the Italian appears poised to advance as the top seed in his group.
(21) Webb Simpson vs. (63) Satoshi Kodaira, tied: This one surely felt like a win for Simpson, who was 4 down through seven holes and still 3 down with five to play. But he won Nos. 14, 16 and 17 to square the match, then watched as Kodaira missed a 5-footer on 18 that would have won the match. But with Molinari already 2-0 in their group, both players know they’re heading home after starting the week 0-1-1.
Group 8
(43) J.B. Holmes def. (8) Jon Rahm, 2 and 1: This battle of long hitters went to Holmes, as he toppled the group’s highest seed after building a 6-up lead through 10 holes. Rahm won four in a row from that point to put the outcome in at least a little doubt, but he ran out of time. Both men moved to 1-1 and are staring up at Kuchar in the group standings.
(23) Matt Kuchar def. (54) Si Woo Kim, 6 and 4: This one wasn’t particularly close, as Kim struggled to keep pace for the second straight day. Kuchar was 2 up through 10 holes before reeling off four straight wins to close the match, and now he knows he’ll advance to the Round of 16 with a draw or a win Friday in his final group-stage match with Holmes.
Group 9
(9) Xander Schauffele vs. (35) Tyrrell Hatton, tied: This group is anyone’s guess as all four players are still technically alive heading into the final day of group play. Schauffele and Hatton both sit at 1-0-1 after a tightly-contested match in which neither player held more than a 1-up advantage.
(29) Rafael Cabrera-Bello vs. (62) Lee Westwood, tied: It was another tie in this group, although the result left both Cabrera-Bello and Westwood facing an uphill battle at 0-1-1. Westwood surely feels like he let this one get away, since his 4-up lead through 11 holes wasn’t enough when Cabrera-Bello won five of the next six holes, leaving Westwood to make a lengthy birdie putt on No. 18 just to salvage half a point.
Group 10
(10) Paul Casey vs. (42) Charles Howell III, tied: Casey is coming off a win last week in Tampa, and he appeared in line for a full point Thursday against the veteran Howell. But Casey couldn’t hold on to a 2-up lead over the final three holes, missing a 7-foot putt for the win. Both players now sit atop the group at 1-0-1 heading into the final day of round-robin play.
(58) Abraham Ancer def. (25) Cameron Smith, 3 and 2: Ancer bounced back from an opening-day loss by defeating the Aussie, as Ancer took his first lead on the 10th hole and never trailed the rest of the way. At 0-2, Smith is officially eliminated while Ancer will have to beat Casey to have a chance to reach the Round of 16.
Group 11
(11) Tommy Fleetwood vs. (41) Kyle Stanley, tied: Fleetwood let one get away here, winning Nos. 15 and 16 to take a 2-up lead only to watch as Stanley rallied back with wins on the final two holes to sneak out with half a point. The result means that both men move to 1-0-1 and will have to do some scoreboard watching during Friday’s final matches to see who will escape the group.
(19) Louis Oosthuizen def. (49) Byeong-Hun An, 1 up: Oosthuizen bogeyed the final hole, but that turned out to be enough to clinch a win in a match in which the South African never trailed. An trailed from the ninth hole on and has now been eliminated, while Oosthuizen will hope that a full point against Fleetwood is enough to advance to the Round of 16.
Group 12
(37) Henrik Stenson def. (12) Jason Day, 4 and 3: A winner here in 2016 and the top seed in his group, Day is officially out after dropping each of his first two matches. Stenson won the first hole and never trailed en route to his second win of the week, as Day only won a single hole while seemingly battling back issues weeks after his withdrawal at Bay Hill.
(52) Jim Furyk def. (20) Phil Mickelson, 1 up: This contest between two of the…most seasoned players in the field went to Furyk, who is now 2-0 and on the cusp of cracking the top 50 of the world rankings just in time to snag a Masters berth. He’ll face Stenson on Friday to decide who advances, while Mickelson will face Day to see who can avoid going 0-3 among a pair of decorated players who know their week is over.
Group 13
(44) Brandt Snedeker def. (13) Tiger Woods, 2 and 1: The group’s top seed is officially on the ropes, as Woods is now behind both Snedeker and Cantlay in the standings as he makes his first appearance since 2013. Snedeker never trailed and took control of the match with a birdie on No. 16, while Woods managed to win only one hole on the back nine.
(18) Patrick Cantlay def. (61) Aaron Wise, 4 and 2: Cantlay joined Snedeker at 1-0-1 after dispatching of Wise in a match in which the reigning Rookie of the Year won only a single hole. Cantlay won Nos. 11 and 12 to pad his advantage, then closed things out with a birdie on No. 16. Wise is eliminated while Snedeker will face Woods tomorrow needing at least a half point to have a chance of winning the group.
Group 14
(48) Kevin Kisner def. (14) Tony Finau, 2 up: Welcome to the chaos group, where all four players will head into the final matches at 1-1. Kisner got on the board against the top seed in the group, rallying from a 3-down deficit to square the match before winning Nos. 16 and 18 to secure a full point.
(56) Keith Mitchell def. (30) Ian Poulter, 1 up: Mitchell shared a flight to Austin with Poulter, during which he asked for a few match play secrets. Poulter didn’t budge, but the American still got the better of him in another match that went the distance. Poulter won the first hole but never led after No. 3, with the match either tied or Mitchell 1 up the rest of the way.
Group 15
(38) Billy Horschel def. (15) Bubba Watson, 2 and 1: One year after racing to victory in this event, Watson was the second player to be officially eliminated after dropping each of his first two matches. It means his title defense will end Friday against Spieth, while Horschel is still in the mix to advance out of the group after leading the entire match against Watson.
(28) Jordan Spieth def. (57) Kevin Na, 3 and 2: Spieth finally put a few good holes together, and with a 6 up lead through 12 holes he seemed in position for an easy win. But Na fought back with three straight wins, only to miss a 4-footer on No. 16 that would have extended the match. Spieth moves to 1-0-1 with Watson on deck, while Na drops to 1-1 ahead of his match against Horschel.
Group 16
(16) Patrick Reed vs. (46) Shane Lowry, tied: The top seed in this group won’t advance, as Reed followed a disappointing opening match with one where he let a lead slip away. Both men are now eliminated at 0-1-1 after Lowry rallied from a 2-down deficit over the final four holes, although the Irishman still has plenty to play for in his final match with Putnam as he looks to stay inside the top 50 in the world rankings and lock up a Masters bid.
(26) Sergio Garcia def. (51) Andrew Putnam, 5 and 4: The Spaniard scored a decisive victory in this match to move to 2-0 as he appears likely to advance from the final quartet. Garcia capitalized on errors from Putnam, winning three of the first nine holes with par and barely breaking a sweat on a day when Putnam failed to win a single hole.
Source: Internet
