The 2023 WGC-Dell Match Play has been riveting via two days of play in Austin, Texas, and maximum of the most sensible seeds are nonetheless in the combine going into the ultimate phase of pool play on Friday. Among them are Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy, the latter of whom hit the shot of the week on Thursday.
A confession: I’ve no longer all the time cherished the Match Play match. However, this 12 months — relatively coincidentally bearing in mind it is about to be over — I’m extra into it than ever. Stars have performed smartly via the first few days, however that is not all of it. No, most commonly it’s the absurd nature of fit play itself, which Rahm highlighted earlier than the match started.
“As a player it’s just an opportunity to play kind of a different golf, right? It’s really the only time throughout the year besides maybe the Ryder Cup where you’re playing truly against the person in front of you, which is much more relatable to every sport we play in the world, which is basically about just playing better than the team in front,” Rahm mentioned.
“Usually, it’s very much about you minding your own business and hopefully beating the other 150 players in the field. It’s fun. It’s a lot more aggressive. You see more birdies. You see a lot of things happen.”
We noticed so much of issues occur on Wednesday and even perhaps extra of them once more on Thursday as Day 2 performed out at Austin Country Club. Here’s a glance.
Star resurgence
How about former global No. 1 Jason Day, who has been enjoying some of the best possible golfing of any individual no longer named Rahm or Scheffler. Day got here into the week ranked No. 4 in strokes received over the final 3 months in the back of Rahm, Scheffler and Max Homa. He went out Thursday and defeated Victor Perez 2 & 1 to transport to 2-0-0 on the week. He’ll have Collin Morikawa on Friday to take a look at and advance.
“It’ll definitely feel like the old-school format [from here on out], which is good,” mentioned Day. “The depth will probably be so a lot more than what it’s been over the final two days, in order that’s thrilling. I assume the willingness to grind it out goes to be extra crucial to deal with or take care of trade the next day.
“I’m just not really looking too far ahead. … I’m talking about process. I’ve just got to stick to that process and try and take on every shot the best I can, and then at the end of the day, if that’s good enough to beat Collin, great; if not, then go back to the drawing board and get after it again.”
Best shot
McIlroy hit his final shot of the spherical — a 375-yard power — to 4 ft on the ultimate hollow to near out Denny McCarthy 2 UP. It was once the shot of the day, the week and in all probability the 12 months up to now. Three-hundred-and-seventy-five yards to 4 ft. Outrageous.
“I certainly didn’t expect to fly it on the green,” mentioned McIlroy. “It’s almost one of those, when it’s that far much downwind, it’s almost like I could have hit 3-wood to get the down slope to get the skid. Like, I was imagining the driver was going to land into the upslope and sort of stay 10, 20 yards short. But as I said, I didn’t imagine I could fly it on the green.”
Craziest shot
Adam Scott hit the stick on the par-3 eleventh and went directly to lose to Sam Burns 1 UP. If this is going in as a substitute of just about discovering the water, Scott most definitely halves the fit. Thankfully, it stayed out of the water and he tied the hollow, however it was once nonetheless most definitely the strangest factor that took place Thursday.
“Like you said, there’s a lot going on,” mentioned Burns, “but at the end of the day, I can only control what I do out there, and I just kind of let the other stuff just happen.”
Weirdest par
You most definitely already know who made it, but when no longer, here is a recap of Jordan Spieth’s 3 on the par-3 seventh hollow.
Spieth in the long run the fit to Taylor Montgomery 2 & 1 and now does no longer regulate his personal future on Friday as Montgomery is 2-0-0 and going through the 1-1-0 Mackenzie Hughes. Spieth made 5 birdies on the day, however it was once his adventurous par that was once, relatively humorously, the maximum compelling hollow of the day.
Least hassle
Scheffler is admittedly rolling towards every other Match Play win. He has 9 birdies and two eagles via two suits with a showdown towards Tom Kim on deck Friday. Every different participant in Scheffler’s pool has no less than one loss, which means that if he even will get a part level in a tie with Kim, he advances.
“I think I’ve had to get through a playoff twice here now the last two years, and to be able to go into [Friday] and to be able to win my match and get through the group would be nice,” mentioned Scheffler. “That’s what I’ll be focused on [Friday] is getting off to a good start and hopefully winning the match.”
Rick Gehman is joined through Kyle Porter to wreck down all 32 suits on Day 2 of the WGC Dell Technologies Match Play. Follow & concentrate to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
2023 WGC-Dell Match Play standings
Group 1
Scottie Scheffler (2-0-0)
Tom Kim (1-1-0)
Alex Noren (0-2-0)
Davis Riley (1-1-0)
Group 2
Jon Rahm (1-1-0)
Billy Horschel (1-0-1)
Keith Mitchell (0-1-1)
Rickie Fowler (1-1-0)
Group 3
Rory McIlroy (2-0-0)
Keegan Bradley (1-0-1)
Denny McCarthy (0-1-1)
Scott Stallings (0-2-0)
Group 4
Patrick Cantlay (2-0-0)
Brian Harman (2-0-0)
Okay.H. Lee (0-2-0)
Nick Taylor (0-2-0)
Group 5
Max Homa (2-0-0)
Hideki Matsuyama (1-1-0)
Kevin Kisner (0-2-0)
Justin Suh (1-1-0)
Group 6
Xander Schauffele (2-0-0)
Tom Hoge (0-2-0)
Aaron Wise (1-1-0)
Cam Davis (1-1-0)
Group 7
Will Zalatoris (0-2-0)
Ryan Fox (1-1-0)
Harris English (1-1-0)
Andrew Putnam (2-0-0)
Group 8
Viktor Hovland (0-2-0)
Chris Kirk (0-1-1)
Si Woo Kim (2-0-0)
Matt Kuchar (1-0-1)
Group 9
Collin Morikawa (1-0-1)
Jason Day (2-0-0)
Adam Svensson (0-1-1)
Victor Perez (0-2-0)
Group 10
Tony Finau (2-0-0)
Kurt Kitayama (1-1-0)
Adrian Meronk (1-1-0)
Christiaan Bezuidenhout (0-2-0)
Group 11
Matt Fitzpatrick (1-1-0)
Sahith Theegala (0-2-0)
Min Woo Lee (1-1-0)
J.J. Spaun (2-0-0)
Group 12
Jordan Spieth (1-1-0)
Shane Lowry (0-2-0)
Taylor Montgomery (2-0-0)
Mackenzie Hughes (1-1-0)
Group 13
Sam Burns (2-0-0)
Seamus Power (1-1-0)
Adam Scott (1-1-0)
Adam Hadwin (0-2-0)
Group 14
Tyrrell Hatton (0-2-0)
Russell Henley (1-1-0)
Lucas Herbert (2-0-0)
Ben Griffin (1-1-0)
Group 15
Cameron Young (2-0-0)
Sepp Straka (0-2-0)
Corey Conners (1-1-0)
Davis Thompson (1-1-0)
Group 16
Sungjae Im (1-1-0)
Tommy Fleetwood (0-1-1)
J.T. Poston (2-0-0)
Maverick McNealy (0-1-1)
(*1*)
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