Top seed Henrik Stenson stormed into the quarter finals in being undefeated through the opening three rounds of the Volvo World Match-Play Championship at Kent in England
The Swede, and also the highest world-ranked player in the 16-player field, produced an eagle and six birdies in winning his third and final round robin encounter 2 & 1 against Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee on the London Club course.
Stenson sealed victory over Jaidee, who was runner-up in last year’s event, in sensational manner when his wedge shot into the 17th green spun back into the hole for birdie.
“Thongchai was putting a lot of pressure on me near the end because coming into the 14th I was feeling very confident being 3up with four holes to go,” said Stenson.
“So I knew I just needed a half at 15 to go through but I three-putted to his birdie.
“Then at 16 I thought I had done what I needed to do and dribbled it up there to about a foot for but but Thongchai managed to chip-in from off the green for birdie that left the match with me 1up with two to go.
“So it was getting a little bit more interesting and while I didn’t hit the best approach with my second into 17, I thought if I could get my lob-wedge to spin back it might be close but then it was a bonus and quite spectacular when it went into the hole.”
Jaidee’s second loss in three matches sees him eliminated.
Also undefeated was Holland’s Joost Luiten who eliminated defending champion Graeme McDowell from the event with a 2 up victory.
Luiten, who had been overlooked for European Ryder Cup selection in favour of Lee Westwood, had been 3 down to McDowell after eight holes before going ahead for a first time with a birdie at 17 and then also managing to birdie the last.
“It is always hard when you are 3 down after eight holes but I had plenty more holes and I managed to get back on my game and hit some good shots,” said Luiten.
“Luckily for me that happened today and if there was a turning point it was winning the par five 15th as I lost the three other par fives to Graeme.
“So winning 15 got me back to even with Graeme and that was the momentum I needed to have the match going my way.”
Texan Patrick Reed also won through to the quarter-finals after defeating European Ryder Cup winning hero Jamie Donaldson on day three of the Volvo Match-Play Championship at the London Club in Kent, England.
Reed, who was undefeated in the recent Ryder Cup, was never behind racing to 2up after just four holes and while Donaldson won the sixth hole the American moved to 4up with a birdie at 12.
Donaldson then birdied the 13th before Reed birdied the next to go back to 4up before claiming a 2 & 1 victory.
“It feels good to win as today I made a lot of clutch and solid putts,” he said.
“This is one of those events I’ve always wanted to play. I watched it last year on TV back home. Justine, my wife, goes, “I think we need to play there next year or whenever we get a chance.” And luckily we got an invite this year and I couldn’t pass it up.”
Frenchman Victor Dubuisson and Spain’s Pablo Larrazabal with two wins apiece also qualified for Saturday’s quarter-finals.
Dubuisson lost his third round robin encounter 2 & 1 to Scotland’s Stephen Gallacher but as Gallacher was defeated in his two earlier matches he drops out.
Larrazabal eliminated Ireland’s Shane Lowry by the same margin.
Also into the quarter-finals is Sweden’s Jonas Blixt who defeated England’s Paul Casey in a play-off that saw Casey, and winner of the event in 2006, also eliminated.
Italy’s Francesco Molinari won his first match defeating South African George Coetzee 2 & 1 however Molinari failed to go through with Coetzee going through to the quarter-finals in finishing second in his group to Stenson.
RESULTS —————
Patrick Reed, USA, def. Jamie Donaldson, Wales, 3 & 2
Jonas Blixt, Sweden, def, Paul Casey, England All Square (Blixt then won play-off to decide top-two in group).
Stephen Gallacher, Scotland, def. Victor Dubuisson, France, 2 & 1
Pablo Larrazabal, Spain, def. Shane Lowry, Ireland, 2 & 1
Joost Luiten, Holland, def. Graeme McDowell, Northern Ireland, 2 holes
Mikko Ilonen, Finland, def. Alexander Levy, France, 1 hole
Henrik Stenson, Sweden, def. Thongchai Jaidee, Thailand, 2 & 1
Franceso Molinari, Italy, def. George Coetzee, South Africa, 2 & 1
