McIlroy thrashed by Harman, eliminated from Match Play

(Reuters) - Rory McIlroy has been eliminated from the WGC-Dell Match Play after being comfortably defeated 5&3 by diminutive giant killer Brian Harman on Friday. McIlroy needed to beat the American on the final day of round-robin play at Austin Country Club to have a chance of qualifying for the weekend, but it was all one-way traffic in Harman's favor. Despite being outdriven by 60 yards at times, 18th seed Harman proved steadier, losing only one hole. "Rory did not play his best golf today but I played extremely well," two-times PGA Tour winner Harman told Golf Channel. "I'm proud of the way I came out. Rory is an intimidating guy. He hits it a mile. I had this one (match) circled this week and I'm glad I came out and performed pretty well." Harman's victory earned him the honor of being the first player in the 64-man field to advance to the knockout stage. The winner of each of the 16 four-man groups qualifies for the weekend. Others to secure spots in the final 16 included Americans Justin Thomas and Bubba Watson, and Thailand's Kiradech Aphibarnrat, who all ended the group stage with perfect 3-0-0 records. Second seed Thomas was upbeat after an emphatic 7&5 win over Italian Francesco Molinari. Thomas was only sorry he did not get to play beyond the 13th hole. "Today I'd be really excited to see how low I could go. I could post a serious number," he said. Aphibarnrat, the 28th seed, continued his excellent form, beating last year's runner-up Jon Rahm 3&1. While the group winners will carry on, Northern Irishman McIlroy heads home to regroup for the Masters in two weeks. He is the betting favorite on some sites to win the April 5-8 event at Augusta National, where he will have a chance of becoming the sixth man to complete the career grand slam. McIlroy won the Arnold Palmer Invitational last Sunday, but had less than 72 hours to celebrate before the Wednesday start of the Match Play. His performance in Austin showed once again what a fickle game golf can be. (Reporting by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina; Editing by Christian Radnedge)