Match recaps from Wednesday: WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play

The World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play is back. Wednesday’s opening round is the first of three days of pool play. After Friday, the player with the best record in each of the 16 four-man pools will advance to knockout play. Two rounds apiece will be played Saturday and Sunday to crown a champion.

Tee times were moved up two hours in anticipation of inclement weather, which could another layer to one of the year’s most intriguing weeks. This is the only event where players go mano-a-mano, and Austin Country Club is a perfect site for this format thanks to its offering of risk-reward holes.

Can reigning FedExCup champion Dustin Johnson win again in Austin? Can Justin Thomas go back-to-back after his PLAYERS victory? Will Collin Morikawa win a second straight World Golf Championship?

Those are among the storylines we’ll be tracking this week.

There will be 32 matches in each of the next three days, and this file will be updated live at the conclusion of each match to keep you apprised of the action from the TOUR’s only match-play event. Return here often to learn about the latest upsets, comebacks and nail-biting finishes.

WEDNESDAY RECAPS

GROUP 1

DUSTIN JOHNSON (1) def. ADAM LONG (61), 2-up

Long pushed the World No. 1 all the way to the 18th green, where he conceded a short birdie putt to Johnson after Johnson hit the hole with his flip wedge from 35 yards. Johnson, the 2017 WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play champion, led 1-up at the turn after Long made a 34-footer for birdie at the ninth; he answered by stuffing a wedge to gimme range at 10. Long, competing in his first Match Play, birdied 12 and won 13 with a par (Johnson missed par from 6 feet) to square the match. Johnson fought back with a sliding 25-footer for birdie at 15 to go on top once more, this time for good. Both players failed to birdie 16 and 17, and Johnson put himself in good position with the closing conceded birdie. Johnson improved his all-time record in the Match Play to 16-14-0.

Johnson said: “It was a tough match. Like I said, I felt like I played solid, didn't play great, but played really solid. Felt like I hit a lot of good shots and holed a couple long putts, but other than that I didn't really make much.”

GROUP 2

MATT KUCHAR (52) def. JUSTIN THOMAS (2), 3 and 2

This battle between winners of THE PLAYERS Championship looked like a mismatch on paper, and it was – in favor of Kuchar, who made five birdies in the first eight holes to build a 4-up lead. Thomas lost the ninth after hitting his second shot into the native area, digging too big of a hole. Kuchar – who won this tournament in 2013 and was runner-up to Kevin Kisner in ’19 – came into the week with a 28-10-4 record but is just 179th in the FedExCup standings. Thomas, who lost to Bubba Watson in the semifinals in 2018, is second in the FedExCup. Needing a huge back-nine rally, he birdied the par-5 12th hole but missed the green from just 64 yards at 13 – a moment that encapsulated his day.

Kuchar said: “I’m not sure many people would have been picking me this week,” Kuchar said with a laugh.

KEVIN KISNER (34) def. LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN (22), 2 and 1

This match pitted two very accomplished players at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play, with Kisner, who won the last time it was contested in 2019, keeping his hot hand in the format and grinding out the victory. Kisner won both par 5s on Austin Country Club’s back nine, making eagle-3 at the 587-yard 12th (his approach from 269 yards finished 11 feet from the hole) and birdie at the 16th (wedge to 3 feet).

Said Kisner, “I just love the grind. … It's nice to get off to a good start, but there's still a lot of work to be done. You got to go out and win a couple other matches or at least get a halve or a win to get through, so tomorrow is a big day.”

GROUP 3

JON RAHM (3) def. SEBASTIAN MUNOZ (56), 1-up

A match that started sloppily turned into a great battle down the stretch. Rahm got things together after a slow start to go on top, 3 up, after 10 holes. Starting at 11, Munoz, a Match Play rookie, birdied four consecutive holes and squared the match. Rahm made a great par save at 15, making a 20-footer from just off the green, and birdied 16 to go ahead. At 18, Munoz made a clutch 25-footer for birdie, making Rahm, the World No. 3, hole an 8-foot, left-to-right slider. He did, marking his fifth birdie, to earn a hard-fought victory.

Rahm said: "We both started poorly, winning holes with pars. I made a silly double at (No.) 5, and after that, I pretty much said, that’s enough. I turned it around. I started hitting good shots, good tee shots, and I was putting myself in good situations. … It came down to a battle on the last four and I’ve got to contribute a lot of that to 15, making a 20-footer for par.”

RYAN PALMER (24) def. SHANE LOWRY (38), 4 and 2

Palmer, whose last appearance in the Match Play was 2015, turned a tight match into a blowout with a nice burst on the back nine at Austin CC. Protecting a 1-up lead heading to the 12th hole, Palmer birdied three holes in a five-hole stretch to run away to victory over the 2019 Open champion. Standing over a 23-footer for birdie, and having two putts for the win, Palmer didn’t mess around, making the right-to-left putt to win. Prior to beating Lowry, Palmer had lost his last four matches.

Palmer said: “I had never really felt any kind of stress or anxiety out there. It was a solid day, I drove the ball about as good as I wanted to, for sure. Good thing was I was able it make some long putts.”

GROUP 4

BILLY HORSCHEL (32) def. MAX HOMA (35), 1-up

A topsy-turvy match in which Horschel, who has never made it out of group play, birdied the first three holes to go 3-up. He went 4-up with a birdie at the par-5 sixth. Homa, a rookie in this event, birdied the seventh and eighth, cutting his deficit in half. In a classic match play moment, he hit his tee shot inside five feet at the par-5 11th hole, but Horschel birdied from 26 1/2 feet to protect his lead. Homa birdied the par-5 12th to cut it to 1-up, and the 15th to get to all square. He missed his birdie try from seven feet at the par-5 16th, and Horschel took advantage, regaining the lead with a birdie at the par-3 17th hole from 18 feet. Both players made par on 18.

COLLIN MORIKAWA (4) tied J.T. POSTON (63)

The Postman delivered on the final two holes, making a birdie to stay alive at 17 and then canning a slick, downhill, left-to-right 11-footer to tie the reigning PGA champion in a game between Match Play rookies that was close throughout. Poston was down through six holes, but birdied the sixth, seventh and ninth holes to go on top, 2 up. Morikawa cut the deficit in half when he holed a wedge from 78 yards for eagle at the 12th. He tied the match with a par at 13 and was 1 up after making birdie at 16. The players traded birdies at 17, Poston making a 7-footer to extend the match.

Morikawa said: “It's so different than what we normally play and you only get so many opportunities to play match play, so when you do have it, like this week, you really want to take advantage of it.”

GROUP 5

ANTOINE ROZNER (58) def. BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU (5), 2-up

A 60-foot putt holed 10 days ago led to Wednesday’s biggest upset. Rozner sank that long putt on the 72nd hole of the Qatar Masters to win by one. That victory moved him from 97th to 63rd in the world ranking and qualified him for this event. It was his second victory in his last six European Tour starts. He came out hot against DeChambeau, taking a 3-up lead after 12 holes. DeChambeau won the 13th but Rozner halted his potential rally by holing a 26-foot par putt on 14. DeChambeau was 1-down with two holes remaining but Rozner holed an 8-foot birdie on 18.

Said Rozner: “I think I'm just trying to play good golf and it's the strongest field I ever played against, so I'm enjoying it, I had a lot of fun today out there and, yeah, I'm very happy.”

TOMMY FLEETWOOD (21) tied SI WOO KIM (25)

Kim, winner of this year’s American Express, was 2-up at the turn but Fleetwood had flipped the match by 14, taking a 1-up lead with a 50-foot birdie putt. Kim won the next two holes to retake the lead but Fleetwood salvaged a tie with a 10-foot birdie putt.

GROUP 6

SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER (30) def. JASON DAY (44), 2-up

Tight match was a clash of opposites as Day, a two-time winner of this event who came in with a 22-14-0 record, took on WGC-Dell Tech Match Play rookie Scheffler. University of Texas product Scheffler shot out to a 2-up lead through four holes, but Day began to find his game with a birdie at the fifth. Scheffler rebuilt a 2-up lead but opened the door by hitting his tee shot in the water at the par-3 11th hole, and when Day birdied the par-5 12th they were all square. Scheffler birdied the par-5 16th hole and Day bogeyed two of the last three for the final margin.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE (6) tied ANDY SULLIVAN (57)

England’s Sullivan, playing in the WGC-Match Play for the first time since 2017, was seeking to break a four-match losing streak and was in great position to do so, building a 3-up lead through 10. Schauffele battled back with birdies at the 11th, 12th and 16th holes (sticking a pitch to 4 feet). The two tied the final two holes, with Sullivan making par at 18, getting up and in from 83 yards after pulling a tee shot into a penalty area.

Schauffele said: “It was a bit scrappy. He played pretty clean. I think he parred every hole. I think he did. So I was a bit all over the place. At one point I was 3-down, and if someone told me I was going to tie the match I would probably take it.”

GROUP 7

PATRICK REED (7) tied BUBBA WATSON (55)

Watson, who won this event in 2018, had Reed on the ropes, taking a 2-up advantage to the 17th tee. Reed faced a 14-footer for birdie at the par-3 just to stay alive, and ran it in, giving it a low fist pump. At 18, Watson hit his approach into a greenside bunker, and when he failed to get up and down, Reed walked off with a tie that almost felt like a victory. The two players had a great exchange of shots at the par-4 15th, where Watson hit one in tight and Reed one-hopped his approach off the flagstick for a gimme birdie.

Reed said: “That match looked like I was going to lose, when I was 2 down through 14 and it wasn't looking good. Then I think I was 2 down through 15 as well, after he hit it to 4 feet. At that point it was looking like, all right, well let's see how far we can kind of get it going, find something in the swing, find something on the greens, just kind of build on for tomorrow – and we were able to come out with a halve.”

JOAQUIN NIEMANN (26) tied CHRISTIAN BEZUIDENHOUT (33)

The strength of Bezuidenhout’s game is his putting, and he showed it off on the final three holes to fight his way to a tie against Niemann. He made a 7-footer to save par at 16; a 10-footer from behind the hole at 17 for birdie; and a birdie from 27 feet at the 18th. Niemann had a chance for the win, but failed to convert his 17-footer at the last. Bezuidenhout was 1-up through 8 but Niemann heated up, winning the ninth, 11th, 13th and 14th holes to go 2-up.

GROUP 8

SERGIO GARCIA (39) def. LEE WESTWOOD, 3 and 2

This was a matchup between two 40something Ryder Cup teammates (and partners) who entered the Match Play with 42 match victories between them in this event. Westwood was hoping to recapture his hot play of late, but it was Garcia who took charge. Garcia canned a 13-footer for birdie at the ninth to go 3-up, and after Westwood got one hole back at No. 10, Garcia stretched his lead with a birdie-birdie-par-par finish starting at the 12th. Garcia now has a record of 26-20-1.

Garcia said: “I’ve always enjoyed playing match play. I’ve done OK throughout my career, probably as an amateur better than as a professional. You can be quite aggressive, and if you have a mess up, it’s just one hole, and you can move on and try to get it back. That’s always the positive side of it.”

TYRRELL HATTON (8) tied MATT WALLACE (51)

In an all-British battle (inside an all-European group), the two Englishmen fought to a draw. Neither player ever led more than 1-up, and the match was tied with four holes to go. Hatton inched ahead at the par-4 15th, where he hit a poor wedge approach but knocked down a 35-footer. Wallace nearly squared the match with his 14-foot birdie attempt at the par-3 17th, but his ball lipped out. At 18, Wallace needed birdie to tie the match and came through, deftly hitting his pitch from 35 yards to 4 feet. Hatton, who laid back off the tee, already had missed an 18-footer. Hatton is 6-4-2 in the event. Wallace was 1-2-0 in his only previous appearance at Match Play.

GROUP 9

WEBB SIMPSON (9) def. TALOR GOOCH (59), 6 and 5

Gooch, a rookie in this event, traded pars with his veteran opponent for the first four holes, but that was as close as it got. Simpson, who has never made it out of group play, seized control with three straight birdies on holes 5-7, and went 3-up when Gooch ran into tree trouble at the eighth and conceded the hole. The floodgates opened after that, with Gooch conceding the 10th and finding the water at the 11th to fall hopelessly behind. He hit it in the water again at the 13th to end the match, and finished with just one birdie on the day.

MACKENZIE HUGHES (48) def. PAUL CASEY (17), 3 and 2

Hughes took down a seasoned and formidable match play foe in Casey, who entered with a career record of 26-15-2 and is a two-time finalist in the event. Birdies at the third, fourth and sixth holes led Hughes to an early 3-up lead. Casey birdied the seventh, but Hughes went back to 3-up when he won the 10th with a par. From there, pars did the trick. After making birdie at the first (to tie the hole), Casey made only one other birdie, his 2 at the seventh.

Hughes said: “Paul is an unreal player, and I knew he wasn't going to give me too much. He was in a lot of holes and doesn't hit too many poor shots, so that was kind of my mentality, to keep the ball in play a lot today and just have a bunch of looks. It worked out for me, and yeah, just pretty thrilled with the win.”

GROUP 10

CARLOS ORTIZ (42) def. HIDEKI MATSUYAMA (23), 4 and 3

Ortiz won the first three holes and never looked back, taking a 3-up lead into the back nine. Matsuyama won No. 10 but Ortiz holed a 12-foot birdie putt to win the next hole and went 4 up when Matsuyama hit two shots in the water on the drivable 13th. Ortiz is making his debut in this event but he is familiar with the Lone Star State. He is an alum of North Texas and earned his first win earlier this season at the Vivint Houston Open.

PATRICK CANTLAY (10) def. BRIAN HARMAN (54), 1-up

Cantlay closed it out in style, sinking an 18-foot birdie putt on 18 to end the match. Harman was 1 up after 10 holes but Cantlay went birdie-eagle to win the next two holes, sinking a 4-footer on the par-3 11th and holing a 30-yard pitch on the par-5 12th. They halved the final six holes, three of them with birdies. Cantlay, who’s now 4-2-1 in this event, is seeking his first bid in the Round of 16.

Said Cantlay: “I feel like it shouldn't be that hard. I was 8- or 9-under par. I played great. Didn't make any bogeys, and it was all the way to the bitter end really sweating it out. I think sometimes that's just match play, and it's whatever it takes to win that day.”

GROUP 11

IAN POULTER (60) def. RORY MCILROY (11), 6 and 5

In a match of European Ryder Cup partners, McIlroy struggled mightily, and Poulter, a match-play gladiator, made sure to keep him down. McIlroy gave away the par-3 fourth (three-putt) and par-4 fifth (where his tee shot finished at the bottom of a resident’s backyard pool). Poulter was 2 up at the turn and then reeled of wins on the next four holes, highlighted by an eagle-3 conceded from 8 feet at the par-5 12th. McIlroy made only two birdies, and when he chipped across the green into water from hole high at the drivable 13th, the match was over.

Said Poulter: “I got 3 up in that match early (through five). Being in that position against Rory, you don’t want to let him back in the match. If he gets any kind of flow, he’s going to be a really tough opponent to shrug off. … I had a stretch around the turn where I kind of kept the foot down and made it difficult.”

CAMERON SMITH (25) def. LANTO GRIFFIN (46), 1-up

Two down with three holes to play, Australia’s Cam Smith rallied to win all three to pull off a comeback victory. Griffin appeared in prime position to possibly close things out at the par-5 16th hole, but his pitch came up 10 feet shy of the hole. Smith made a 13-footer for birdie, and Griffin, competing in his first Match Play, missed his attempt. Smith was conceded the par-3 17th (he had 12 feet for birdie) after Griffin had an near-impossible bunker lie, and won the deciding hole with par when Griffin mis-hit a chip from behind the green. Smith evened his Match Play record to 4-4-1.

GROUP 12

DYLAN FRITELLI (64) def. TONY FINAU (12), 6 and 5

Finau got off to a rough start, making double on his opening hole, and never did find his footing. Fritelli, in his second Match Play appearance, took control with birdies at the fourth, fifth and six holes, and built his cushion to 5-up when he birdied the par-4 10th hole from 7 feet. When Finau hit his tee shot into the water at the reachable 13th (288 yards), he was pretty much done.

Fritelli is the lowest-seeded player in the field (64), but is a former Texas Longhorn who knows the golf course and is sleeping in his own bed this week.

Fritelli said, “Tony obviously didn't play well today. That wasn't a true reflection on his game. He wasn't on his game by any means, but I'd like to think if he did play well I still would have been competitive and maybe been 1 or 2 up going down the final few holes.”

JASON KOKRAK (29) def. WILL ZALATORIS (40), 1-up

The long-hitting Kokrak pulled off a quality comeback victory with birdies on his final two holes. He hit a shot to 13 feet at the 152-yard 17th and laid back off the tee at the short, 370-yard finishing hole, hitting his approach from 114 yards inside 7 feet. Zalatoris led 1-up after birdie at the par-4 13th; Kokrak answered with a birdie at the next hole to tie the match; and Zalatoris then stepped up by making birdie at the par-5 16th, sinking a putt from 9 feet. From there, it was all Kokrak, who said he hadn’t played match play since his amateur days.

Kokrak said: “It's something vastly different than what we normally do because every shot counts no matter what. If you get it out of play, you lay it up and you take your bogey and you go on. In this format it doesn't matter what you make, if you make a birdie you win a hole, if you make a 12 you lose the hole. So I think it's a lot of fun.”

GROUP 13

KEVIN STREELMAN (53) def. VIKTOR HOVLAND (13), 4 and 2

Streelman had not been in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play field since 2014, but he’s a man who can get hot and make a lot of birdies, so this should be a great format for him. He took it to the younger Hovland in the opening round of pool play, winning two of the first three holes, and never trailed. Three-up on the 15th tee, Streelman went birdie-birdie (making a 40-footer at 15, and conceded a 4-footer at 16) and closed out the match. Hovland, who ranks 10th on the PGA TOUR in birdie average, made only one birdie in 16 holes.

Streelman said: “I played nicely last week and made a bunch of birdies at the Honda, just a few too many mistakes, but the putter feels nice and I tend to drive it and hit it pretty good, so who knows what can happen.”

ABRAHAM ANCER (27) def. BERND WIESBERGER (43), 3 and 2

Ancer played nicely, jumping out to a big early lead. After having to punch out at the par-5 sixth, he ripped a 6-iron to 3 feet for a surprising birdie that staked him to a 4-up lead. From there, it was a matter of not beating himself with mistakes. He was conceded the par-3 11th and went 5-up when he won the par-5 12th with a par. Wiesberger would birdie the 13th and 15th holes, but it was way too late.

Ancer said: "I got away with a couple of holes (in the middle of the round), but other than that I played really solid. Didn't really make that many dumb mistakes, and hitting the ball well.”

GROUP 14

DANIEL BERGER (14) def. ERIK VAN ROOYEN (62), 6 and 4

Berger put injury (rib) questions to rest with a decisive victory, rocking van Rooyen with five front-nine birdies and never looking back. Van Rooyen, meanwhile, never got going. He made just one birdie, bogeyed the par-5 sixth, and double-bogeyed the par-4 13thhole. With two wins since last June, Berger came to Austin having gone 1-8-0 in three WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play starts, never having gotten out of group play. He didn’t qualify for the tournament in 2019, but is off to a much-improved start in 2021.

HARRIS ENGLISH (19) def. BRENDON TODD (47), 1-up

In a match of good friends that featured only three birdies, these two Georgia Bulldogs went down to the final putt. Todd had a chance to tie the match at 18, but his birdie putt from 15 feet grazed the left edge of the hole, leaving Harris to convert a short par putt for the victory. Harris never trailed in the match, and was 2 up with three to play, but handed away the 16th, losing to a par. Todd had two good looks at 17 and 18 but didn’t get a putt to go. He slips to 0-4-0 all-time in the Match Play.

Harris said: “We play a lot of practice rounds together, and we’ve known each other a long time. … It’s definitely tougher (to play a friend). I was pulling for Brendon today. You never really want to beat a friend. It was a good match.”

GROUP 15

MATTHEW WOLFF (20) def. COREY CONNERS (37), 3 and 1

A battle of WGC-Dell Technology Match Play rookies got tight before Wolff won four straight holes (Nos. 12-15) to flip the match. Conners, who took a 2-up lead with three front-nine birdies, came in as the underdog but was the hotter player after being in contention at THE PLAYERS Championship and Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard. Wolff, who has struggled in 2021, came alive late, playing holes 12-16 in 3 under as Conners played them in 1 over. Just like that, Wolff went from 2-down to 2-up. He birdied the par-3 17th hole, his fourth in a span of six holes, to close it out.

JORDAN SPIETH (49) def. MATT FITZPATRICK (15), 3 and 1

Jordan Spieth continued to build off his recent run of good finishes with a solid opening win. He built a commanding 3-up lead over Fitzpatrick through nine holes and never was in danger of letting his opponent back in the match. Fitzpatrick, who has struggled in this event (he now is 4-9-0), did not make his first birdie until the 16th hole. Spieth answered with a birdie at the 17th, where he hit his tee shot to 8 feet.

Said Spieth, “I knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Matt has won a U.S. Amateur, and he’s in every single hole. He doesn’t make too many mistakes. Fortunately, I got off to a good start, and it allowed me to play some safer shots and give myself some looks. I struck my irons really well. If you can get your irons dialed in out here, it’s a huge advantage.”

GROUP 16

SUNGJAE IM (16) def. RUSSELL HENLEY (50), 1-up

The first tee was the only time this match was tied. Im holed a 20-foot birdie putt on the first hole and led the entire way, but Henley hung tough. Im was 3-up at the turn but Henley won the next two holes. They tied the final seven holes, however, and Im escaped with a 1-up win. Im is making his debut in this event.

VICTOR PEREZ (31) def. MARC LEISHMAN (36), 2 and 1

Leishman was 1-up after 11 but Perez won the next two holes to take the lead. Leishman hit it in the water on the par-5 12th and Perez hit his approach to 5 feet at the next. He took control on 16 after he hit a driver off the deck to within 20 feet and won the hole with birdie.

Said Perez: “To me match play is just like playing on Sunday. It's pretty much right in front of you. You know what to do, which gives you clarity.”