There is nothing like the spills and thrills of match-play golf!
That was clearly evident after the opening day of the WGC – Cadillac Match Play Championship with upsets galore on the TPC Harding Park course in suburban San Francisco.
Defending champion Jason Day, third-ranked Henrik Stenson, last week’s PGA Tour winner Justin Rose (No. 6), Adam Scott (No. 9) and Matt Kuchar (No. 14) all lost Wednesday.
However in the new round robin pool format they will all live on to play another two days and could still advance to the knockout rounds, which begin on Saturday.
Rory McIlroy on route to victory on the opening day of the 2015 WGC – Cadillac Match-Play Championship. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www,golffile.ie)
Not that it’s necessarily any more comforting that they’ll have a couple of extra days to try to stay alive. Losing on the first day still stings.
“Obviously I need to go out there and win the next two,” said Day, who had four bogeys and just two birdies in a 4 and 2 loss to Charley Hoffman. “Whatever happens, happens. If I sneak through, I sneak through. If not, then it’s my own fault for losing.”
When Ian Poulter, a winner of this event in 2010 and a Ryder Cup stud, fell 3 and 2 to Webb Simpson, it was clear he was annoyed with his performance. He didn’t stop to talk to reporters.
Kuchar got beat 1-up by one of the last players to make the field, Ben Martin. Martin was still trying to figure out the permutations after his match. In short, even if Kuchar wins each of the next two days he could get eliminated.
Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama blasts out of a bunker on day one of the 2015 WGC – Cadillac Match-Play Championship. (Photo – Fran Caffrey/www.golffile.ie)
The same is true for the rest of the big names who got beat in the opening round.
“A lot has to work out now,” Kuchar said. “Nobody wants to lose. I can assure you of that.”
Not all the top players struggled Wednesday, however.
World No. 1 Rory McIlroy and second-seeded Jordan Spieth both won easily. So did No. 4 Bubba Watson.
The importance of the early victory wasn’t lost on McIlroy. Said the Northern Irishman: “You’re definitely swimming upstream if you lose that first match.”
* Story thanks to www.pgatour.com
