Shane Lowry has dumped Jordan Spieth out of the WGC-Dell Matchplay despite a spirited comeback from the American.
Lowry had already been sent packing from the tournament following defeats by Taylor Montgomery and Mackenzie Hughes. These were his fifth and sixth match play losses of the year after he lost all four of his matches in January at the Hero Cup.
Despite the disappointment Lowry took full advantage off a decidedly erratic performance from the three-time major winner. Lowry raced into a five-hole lead at the turn and held on to complete a 2&1 victory at Austin Country Club.
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In the other match in group 12 Mackenzie Hughes defeated Taylor Montgomery 6&5 to set up a play-off between the pair. They soon got underway after having to delay as other matches finished.
American Max Homa became the first player through to the last-16 despite not hitting a single shot after oppoent Hideki Matsuyama withdrew due to a neck injury. This meant a first appearance at this stage of the tournament for the former Masters winner.
Homa joked on Twitter about having a 'bogey-free day' but added, In all seriousness, this isn’t the way I wanted to make it through. I hope Hideki feels better soon. Golf is better when he’s playing well.”
Matsuyama later released a statement via the PGA Tour which read: “I experienced some stiffness in my neck this morning while warming up on the range, preventing me from making a full swing.
“As a precautionary measure, I decided to concede my match to Max and rest before moving on to the Valero Texas Open next week.
“I want to express my sincere appreciation to Dell Technologies and the Austin Country Club for their kind hospitality and supporting the WGC Matchplay through the years.”
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