Quarter finalists decided at Accenture
BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2010 Accenture Match Play Championship | Quarter-Finals | 20 Feb 2010
The quarter finalists have been decided at the Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson and only one American remains in the final eight players.
Stewart Cink is that lone American, the Open Champion producing a birdie at the first extra hole to defeat South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel after a tight fought match during which no player led by more than one hole at any stage.
Cink has a great record in this event having finished runner up and third in his last two appearances and his battle against the world number 7 Paul Casey is likely to be a feature tomorrow.
Casey’s match-up against Brian Gay in the other half of the Sam Snead bracket was evenly balanced until the pair reached the 7th when Casey unleashed a run of six birdies in eight holes. That was the end of the week for Gay who would lose 5 & 4 to the Englishman.
In the Bobby Jones bracket, Thongchai Jaidee won the first hole in his match against Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa and from that point on never gave his much younger opponent a look in. The Thai golfer would win by 5 & 4 and tomorrow he will face England’s Ian Poulter who did not need to do much to beat Jeev Milkha Singh, eventually winning at the 14th after a lacklustre affair.
In the Ben Hogan bracket the contest between Tim Clark and Sergio Garcia was always likely to be a close battle and so it proved. Garcia was never down in his match but the bulldog competitor that is Clark, clung to his coat-tails before losing at the 17th.
Garcia will now play England’s Oliver Wilson who managed to survive a titanic struggle with fellow countryman Luke Donald before winning with a birdie at the second extra hole.
In the Gary Player bracket Retief Goosen appeared to be in for an easy day of it before Nick Watney fought back from three down after three to be all square standing on the 18th tee. The American would bogey there however and a par was good enough for Goosen to sneak through to just his third quarter final in ten attempts.
Goosen takes on Camilo Villegas who after a close early tussle with Ben Crane drew away to win at the 16th.
