Day, McIlroy to clash in semi-finals
Jason Day and defending champion Rory McIlroy will face each other in the semi-finals of the WGC-Dell Match Play.
Day advanced to the last four following a 3&2 win over Brooks Koepka, while McIlroy beat Chris Kirk 4&3 on Saturday.
Day found himself 1-up against Koepka at the third after making a seven-foot birdie putt, but his lead did not last long as Koepka brought himself level with a 23-foot birdie putt at the fifth and went on to take the lead with a birdie at the sixth.
However, Day fought back and levelled things up with a 12-foot birdie putt at the eighth before taking the lead when he made a birdie at the 10th.
The Australian did not look back from that point as he extended his lead to 2-up at the 12th and increased it even more at the 15th, where he made a birdie. With Day still 3-up at the 16th, he was declared the winner and subsequently progressed to the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, McIlroy took the lead right off the bat against Kirk with his 10-foot birdie at the first. The Ulsterman took advantage of Kirk’s bogey at the fourth to increase his lead, but it was cut back down at the next hole courtesy of Kirk’s birdie.
Kirk brought himself level after McIlroy missed a four-foot par putt to record a bogey at the ninth, but that was to be Kirk’s last taste of success as the defending champion restored his lead with a five-foot birdie putt at the 10th.
The world number three extended his lead with a birdie at the 12th before finding himself 3-up following a nine-foot birdie putt at the next hole.
McIlroy wrapped up his victory and advanced to the semi-finals after making a birdie and going 4-up at the 15th.
In the other semi-final, South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen will face Spain’s Rafa Cabrera Bello. Oosthuizen, who beat world number one Jordan Spieth in the round of 16, booked his spot in the semi-finals after triumphing over Dustin Johnson 2&1. Bello meanwhile claimed a 2&1 win over Ryan Moore.
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