Match Play Live: Cantlay among players already eliminated
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Latest on the Dell Technologies Match Play (all times local):
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4:15 p.m.
Patrick Cantlay is the highest-ranked player at No. 4 who will show up Friday at the Dell Technologies Match Play with no chance of winning his group.
The second day of round-robin matches is when some players get eliminated. Cantlay had a halve with Keith Mitchell in the opening session. And then he lost big to Seamus Power of Ireland, 5 and 4, to fall to 0-1-1 for the week. Power is 2-0-0, so Cantlay even by winning his third match can beat that.
Tony Finau and Ian Poulter are in the same situation. Finau missed an 8-foot putt on the final hole and lost to Takumi Kanaya, his second loss of the week. Poulter lost to Matt Fitzpatrick and fell to 0-2, knocking him out of weekend play.
The others to be eliminated so far are Paul Casey, Louis Oosthuizen, Robert MacIntyre, Tom Hoge, Keith Mitchell and Christiaan Bezuidenhout.
Cantlay has yet to advance out of group play in his four years at the Match Play.
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3 p.m.
Paul Casey’s lost week at the Dell Technologies Match Play is officially over.
Casey played only two holes Wednesday when he began suffering back spasms and conceded the match against Corey Conners. He warmed up Thursday morning and barely got through his wedges when he realized he couldn’t go and forfeited to Alex Noren.
Casey later in the day withdrew instead of trying to play Friday, and it was just as well. He was to face Louis Oosthuizen, who already lost two matches. Both already are eliminated.
Meanwhile, add Sergio Garcia to the list of big rallies. He was 3 down to British Open champion Collin Morikawa when the Spaniard won the next three holes with birdies. They parred the last two holes and the match ended in a draw.
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2:15 p.m.
Lucas Herbert, Takumi Kanaya and Bubba Watson have staged rallies on the back nine to pick up wins in the Dell Technologies Match Play.
Herbert was 2 down and hitting it everywhere off the tee against Xander Schauffele. But he won the 13th with a superb chip behind the green and the 15th with a strong fairway bunker shot that set up birdie. They were all square on the 18th when Herbert laid back off the tee and hit his approach to 8 feet for birdie.
Tony Finau was 2 up with four holes to play when Kanaya chipped in on the 15th, birdied the 16th and made a tough birdie putt on the 17th to take the lead. Finau missed an 8-foot birdie putt on the final hole that would have earned a halve.
Watson was 1 down to Webb Simpson with two holes left when he made a 35-foot birdie putt on the 17th to square the match, and Simpson bogeyed the final hole to lose.
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9:45 a.m.
Paul Casey’s warmup lasted only a few minutes before he realized his back was not good enough to play in the Dell Technologies Match Play. He conceded his Thursday match to Alex Noren but has not withdrawn from the tournament yet.
Casey was all square through two holes in the opening session of round-robin play on Wednesday when he suffered back spasms and conceded the match to Corey Conners. His hope was to play the next two matches and try to advance from his group.
Now he is eliminated. There are a number of Friday matches each year between players who have been eliminated. Still at stake is money and FedEx Cup points, and Casey has not ruled out playing Friday, although it would seem unlikely.
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