Page 18 - ARUBA TODAY

A18 SPORTS
Thursday 28 March 2019
A win for Woods in his return to Match Play

clutch shots and pull off a
tie there 2 down and three
to go." Spieth said it was the
best he has played under
pressure in a while, before
catching himself because
he hasn't been in a pres-
sure situation in more than
six months.
Dustin Johnson, the No. 1
seed for the third straight
year, had no trouble beat-
ing Chez Reavie. Johnson
won the Match Play in
Austin two years ago. Last
year, he didn't win any of
his three matches.
Brooks Koepka was trailing
with three holes to go when
he won the next two holes
to take a 1-up lead to the
18th, only for Tom Lewis of
England to birdie the 18th
for a halve.
Defending champion Bub-
ba Watson lost his opening
match for the first time since
he began playing this event
in 2011. Watson needed to
win the 18th against Kevin
Na, but his second shot out
of the bunker in front of the
green came back down
the slope and into his foot-
print. His next shot, far more
difficult, started to come
down the hill when he
jogged over and picked it

Tiger Woods hits his drive from the eighth tee during round-robin play at the Dell Match Play Championship golf tournament, up to concede the match.
Wednesday, March 27, 2019, in Austin, Texas. In the group of major
Associated Press champions, Henrik Stenson
got the same result against
By DOUG FERGUSON Wise gave away the open- off the flag stick and into 15th. Phil Mickelson as he did at
AP Golf Writer ing two holes with a dou- the rough. Horschel helped the cause Royal Troon when he won
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Tiger ble bogey and a bogey. As usual, there were quick by missing a 3-foot par putt the 2016 British Open. He
Woods made a successful Woods went from 2 up to shifts in momentum, and a on the 16th that would won on the 17th hole when
return to the Dell Technolo- 1 down around the turn, few big rallies at the end. have kept him 2 up with two Mickelson's tee shot went
gies Match Play with a vic- and then he regained One of those belonged to to play. Spieth took it from over the green, off the
tory. control when Wise missed Spieth, and it was badly there. He made a 6-foot rocks and into a hazard. In
Jordan Spieth found some too many short par putts. needed. Spieth, the No. 4 birdie to match Horschel the other match, Jim Furyk
success with a tie. Woods closed him out, 3 seed in this event last year, and send it to the 18th, and rallied from 3 down to beat
The most unpredictable and 1, when Wise three- is now at No. 28. He has not he lofted a wedge to 2 feet Jason Day on the 18th hole.
tournament in golf began putted the par-3 17th. finished better than a tie for for birdie to win the 18th. That kept alive Furyk's
Wednesday with only a few But it was tough on every- 35th in his six tournaments It was only worth a half- hopes for winning enough
surprises as only four of the one. A sturdy wind through this year, alarming as the point from a match in this week to move into the
top 16 seeds in group play the trees and valleys, along Masters nears. which he never led, and top 50 and qualify for the
failed to win their opening with some pins set along And he was 3 down after it's just one out of three Masters. He wasn't alone
match at Austin Country the mounds on the putting just six holes to Billy Horschel. matches in group play. in that regard. Andrew Put-
Club. surfaces, made mistakes Spieth managed to square It felt like more to Spieth. nam took a similar step by
Woods, a three-time winner costly. the match with five holes to "To birdie the last two holes beating Patrick Reed.
of this World Golf Champi- Justin Thomas at No. 5 was play when it seemingly fell is really big for me right now Justin Harding of South Af-
onships, had not played the only player from the apart with a tee shot along as I'm looking to gain confi- rica, just inside the top 50
since losing in the opening top 10 seeds to lose, fall- the banks of the Colorado dence under pressure and and in danger of being
round in 2013. He had a ing behind to Lucas Bjer- River that he chopped kind of test some of the stuff passed, was 2 down with
wild time with Aaron Wise regaard of Denmark, who out into a foot print in the I've been working on," Spi- three to play against Matt
until putting him away on never gave him much of bunker left by a bird. He eth said. "It feels like you're Fitzpatrick when he won
the 17th hole. a chance to get back in lost that hole. And then he battling to try to win a golf the last three holes — two
"The way we were playing the match. It ended on the turned a chance to tie the tournament on a Saturday of them with pars — to win
today, we're very thankful 16th, when Thomas hit what match into another loss of or Sunday toward the end the match.
it's not stroke play," Woods he thought was a perfect hole when he three-putted of these matches. So it "I definitely feel as though I
said with a laugh. wedge only to see it carom from about 20 feet on the was really cool to hit some stole it," Harding said.q