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A18 SPORTS
Saturday 30 March 2019
Woods' big run sends him to weekend against McIlroy

second bounce and gen-
tly spun back toward the
hole as fans in the double-
decker hospitality tent be-
hind the green rose to their
feet and let out the loudest
cheer of the day when it
dropped.
Woods wasn't through.
He holed a 20-foot birdie
putt on the 14th to go 3
up with four holes to play,
and there were delayed
cheers from every corpo-
rate chalet along the back
nine from fans watching on
television.
Woods still needed help
and says he didn't bother
looking at scoreboards to
check on the Snedeker
match. It was a mismatch.
Wise never trailed, was 2 up
at the turn and won four of
the next five holes to close
out Snedeker.
McIlroy, coming off a vic-
tory in The Players Cham-
pionship in his last start, has
played so well this year that
he has a chance to return
to No. 1 in the world if he
were to win this World Golf
Championship.
He still has to win four
matches, starting with a big
one Saturday morning.
"We've played tourna-
ments together, battled
each other down the
stretch at event, but never
Tiger Woods responds to the gallery after winning his round-robin match against Patrick Cantlay at the Dell Technologies Match Play in a match-play situation,"
Championship golf tournament, Friday, March 29, 2019, in Austin, Texas. Woods said. "It'll be fun."
Associated Press Stenson prefers single elimi-
nation to group play, one
By DOUG FERGUSON trailed and has led in 37 of Furyk, while Matt Kuchar lead when it all turned on reason he has skipped the
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Ti- the 42 holes he has played. birdied the last hole to the par-3 11th. Match Play the last three
ger Woods sent fans into a Woods and McIlroy have tie Jon Rahm and win his Woods holed a 20-foot years. Now he's in the
frenzy Friday with a sublime never faced with other in group. birdie putt to square the knockout stage, facing Lu-
stretch of golf that left them match play. The last time The 16 group winners ad- match. Then, he made a cas Bjerregaard, the Dane
wanting more at the Dell they squared off was in vance to single elimination 7-foot birdie putt to take who won his group featur-
Technologies Match Play. the final round last year at Saturday morning. the lead. ing Justin Thomas.
And that's what they'll get. the Tour Championship, One match dwarfed them And then it was time for a "Nothing I've done these
Woods won four straight where Woods capped off all. Woods hasn't com- decision. first three days is going to
holes with three birdies and his comeback season with peted in Texas since 2005, The 13th hole played only matter when we tee it up
an 83-yard lob wedge that a victory. and he hasn't been in the 276 yards, all over water, tomorrow," Stenson said.
spun back into the hole "I just hope I put up a bet- Match Play since 2013. He a stiff breeze into them. In other matches:
for an eagle , carrying him ter fight than I did in Atlan- had to beat Cantlay and Woods could tell Cantlay — Marc Leishman easily dis-
into the weekend with a ta last year," McIlroy said. have Aaron Wise knock off was leaning toward driver, posed of Bryson DeCham-
4-and-2 victory over Patrick "I didn't have much of a Brandt Snedeker to have and he opted to hit iron off beau to reach the Round
Cantlay. game that day. But yeah, any chance of advancing. the tee. Cantlay's drive was of 16 for the third time in
"Just got hot right when I look, it's exciting. It's excit- Cheers of "Go Tiger!" often settled in a knob above five years.
needed it," Woods said. ing for the tournament. I'm were followed with "Go the green, 40 feet from the — Sergio Garcia lost his
It gets even better: Next up sure it's going to be excit- Aaron Wise." hole for a chance at eagle. match to Patrick Reed and
for Woods is Rory McIlroy, ing for us. I feel good about Woods gave away holes "I knew I needed to put it still advanced.
the hottest player in golf. my game. I played well all with a poor flop shot be- up there to at least have — Branden Grace ad-
McIlroy won his group by year. I've continued to do hind the sixth green and a a chance at 3, to force vanced out of the No. 1
beating Matt Fitzpatrick, 4 that this week. So it will be mediocre chip on No. 8 to him to have a good pitch," group with a 3-0 record,
and 2. Not only was it McIl- exciting." fall 2 down. Cantlay, whose Woods said. while top seed Dustin John-
roy's third victory in as many Henrik Stenson emerged tee shot on No. 9 took a It worked out to perfection. son failed to reach the
matches this week at Austin from the group of major hard hop and wound up in The ball stopped about 5 weekend for the second
Country Club, he has never champions by beating Jim the ravine, still had a 1-up feet behind the hole on its straight time.q