Tiger Woods fireworks sets up mouthwatering Rory McIlroy battle
Tiger Woods so succinctly summed up the mood here after holing out from 80 yards at the WGC Match Play. “F--- yeah!” he screamed and the city of Austin knew exactly how he felt as it looked forward to Saturday’s last-16 encounter between Woods and Rory McIlroy.
It is the first time the pair have faced each other in mano-a-mano format and if Friday’s fireworks are any gauge, then prepare for the fuse to be lit.
“I’m sure both of us will be ready for it,” Woods said. “We’ve battled each other down the stretch before, but never in a match-play situation. So this will be a lot of fun.”
McIlroy agreed, hinting that there might even be a measure of revenge to be taken after playing in the final group with Woods at the Tour Championship and coming second best by a long way.
“It’s going to be exciting for the fans and for the two of us as well,” McIlroy said. “We had a good little game in Atlanta a few months ago when I didn’t put up my best stuff.”
With McIlroy accounting for England’s Matt Fitzpatrick 4&2 to make it three out of three for the Northern Irishman in the group stages, it was left to Woods to fulfil his side of the bargain. The 14-time major-winner needed to win and for Brandt Snedeker – who beat Woods on Thursday – to lose to ensure his passage. Snedeker managed to lose quite spectacularly, hammered 6&4 by Aaron Wise.
But then, Snedeker must have been distracted by cheers coming from the match immediately in front, as Woods recovered from two down after eight, and one down after 10, to prevail 4&2.
Woods holed a 22-footer on the 11th to bring it all square and moved ahead with a birdie on the 12th. Then the Tiger moment, as he sent his ball soaring over the pin on the par-four 13th and watched in delight as it spun back into the cup.
Cue the fist-pump, that four-lettered howl of ecstasy and a few seconds later Austin Country Club actually experienced a power cut. Certainly, it was lights out for Cantlay. Woods birdied the 14th as well, making him five-under for that four-hole stretch.
However, if McIlroy remains in this form, Woods will find him hard to beat. This is his first event since winning The Players two weeks ago and it is fair to say he has taken up where he left off. McIlroy has not trailed in any of his matches this week and has only lost three holes. In fact, the 29-year-old has yet to see the 17th.
England boasts three representatives in the knockout stages, with Justin Rose, Tyrrell Hatton and Paul Casey set to play Kevin Na, Matt Kuchar and Francesco Molinari respectively. And with Henrik Stenson facing Lucas Bjeeregaard and Sergio Garcia tackling Branden Grace, there are eight Europeans in the last 16, which is a record for this championship.
Hatton beat Lee Westwood 3&1, despite the former world No 1 making a hole-in-one on the 11th. It means that Westwood cannot rise back into the world's top 50 and will miss the Masters for the second successive year.
Ian Poulter was also on his way home. The 2010 champion beat Tony Finau on the 18th but then lost on the third extra hole of a play-off to Kevin Kisner, the American who he beat on Thursday.
