LAST UPDATE | 24 Mar 2023
AN AMAZING TEE shot by Rory McIlroy led the world number three to join top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler and second-ranked Jon Rahm in capturing clutch victories from Thursday’s second group matches at the WGC Match Play Championship.
Elsewhere among the Irish contingent, Séamus Power birdied the last to remain in with a shot of making a playoff to advance, but Shane Lowry made a disappointing exit from the competition.
McIlroy made an epic drive with a stunning 375-yard blast at the 18th hole, landing the ball within four feet of the hole for a tap-in eagle that clinched a 2-up triumph over US 48th seed Denny McCarthy.
One of the greatest drives you will EVER see 🤯@McIlroyRory drives the ball to 3 FEET at the 375-yard par-4 18th with a 349-yard carry to the green! pic.twitter.com/HzhMBtyKkr
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 23, 2023
“It was good,” McIlroy said. “I didn’t think I could get it on the green.”
Scheffler and McIlroy remained unbeaten while Rahm bounced back from an opening loss at Austin (Texas) Country Club, where 16 winners from four-man groups will advance to weekend knockout rounds.
Four-time major winner McIlroy, the 2015 Match Play champion, did not lead McCarthy until the par-5 16th hole, when McIlroy had a tap-in birdie and the American missed a seven-foot birdie putt to put McIlroy 1 up.
Then came McIlroy’s clinching tee shot, which was airborne for 349 yards, nearly 70 yards longer than the average PGA Tour carry, before rolling up to the cup for a tap-in.
“I just played really well, played really solid,” McIlroy said. “Didn’t make a bogey and made some birdies when I needed to and thankfully was able to win.”
Also in McIlroy’s group, US 20th seed Keegan Bradley won his first WGC match in 11 years, ripping compatriot Scott Stallings 6&5.
McIlroy need only tie Bradley on Friday to advance.
Reigning Masters champion Scheffler, who won the Players Championship earlier this month, downed Swedish 38th seed Alex Noren 5&4 after only edging US 54th seed Davis Riley 1 up in a Wednesday opener.
Jon Rahm suffered a surprise defeat to Rickie Fowler in group two on Wednesday.
But while the former US Open champion bounced back to beat Keith Mitchell 4&3 on Thursday, Lowry’s defeat to Mackenzie Hughes by the same score ensured he cannot qualify for the knockout stages at Austin Country Club.
Lowry, who bogeyed two of the first four holes against Hughes and found himself five down after seven, briefly threatened to make a comeback as he won the 10th with a par and then eagled the par-five 12th.
However, he promptly found water off the tee on the next and a sixth match play loss of the year – following defeats in all four matches in January’s Hero Cup – was confirmed when Hughes birdied the 15th.
Lowry faces Jordan Spieth on Friday but the destiny of group 12 is in the hands of Taylor Montgomery, who beat Spieth 2&1 and takes on Hughes in the final round of group matches.
Séamus Power can still advance after birding the 18th to beat Canada’s Adam Hadwin to win by one hole.
The Waterford native had lost on the 18th to Adam Scott in his first-round match. Power will now need to beat Sam Burns to force a playoff if he is to win group 13.
Rahm, meanwhile, has won three strokeplay events on the PGA Tour this season.
“I think the biggest difference was on the greens,” Rahm told Golf Channel.
I started off good yesterday but on 11, 12 and 14 had three putts and that’s why I lost those holes. That’s why I went from having a two-hole lead to going down quickly.
“Today I played pretty similar, not many mistakes tee to green and I was able to capitalise on a couple of putts.”
Rahm will face former BMW PGA Championship winner Billy Horschel in the final round of group matches on Friday and said: “Not many pairings are going to have more electricity on the course than me and Billy combined so it should be a good one.
“I’m going to have to get the win tomorrow.”
After his match, Rahm was asked whether he agreed with Rory McIlroy speaking out in favour of the proposals for a shorter ball to be used in elite competitions.
“I think it sets manufacturers back quite a bit,” Rahm said. “I don’t think it’s fair to tell all these brands to have to go through the research, the development, and the testing of a brand new golf ball just for a few of us.
“I just don’t think the PGA Tour and the manufacturers are going to put up with that. I have a hard time believing it. But it’s happened before. They have changed the grooves, they keep figuring out limitations for our game, but either way whatever happens we’ll deal with it.”
McIlroy went as far as to say he could use the shorter ball on the PGA Tour even if it was not required in order to best prepare for majors, but Rahm added: “Let’s see if the majors decide to do it.
“I find it hard to believe as well that the majors would go completely against what the professional tours decide to do. And if that were the case, if that were to happen, that would set a huge divide in the game of golf that is just not good for anybody.
“I think Rory, to an extent, is right. The change benefits the better players, especially the longer players.
“I think I would be hitting it 10 to 15 yards shorter, which would put me on what I was doing in 2019, 2020, and my golf game was pretty good back then as well. So I don’t think it would be a big difference.”
- With reporting from Press Association
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
