After beating Lee Westwood 4 and 3 on Wednesday, then winning his Day 2 match against Tyrrell Hatton, Sergio Garcia was essentially a lock to make the knockout stage. Late on Friday afternoon, however, he found himself in a heated sudden-death battle with Westwood, who wound up winning his next two matches.
Garcia lost his third to Matt Wallace, which sent he and Westwood back to the first tee for a playoff for a spot in the final 16. The duo matched with pars on the first three holes, and it felt like a match that might never end.
And then, it ended abruptly when Garcia slammed the door in style, making a walk-off hole-in-one to stun his European Ryder Cup team pal. Match play strikes again:
There’s a reason the man is such a match-play legend. What a shot, what a finish. If you’re Westwood, all you can do is tip your cap. No shame in losing to an ace.
Now, Garcia heads to the knockout stage for a third consecutive time in this event. He’ll face off with Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes on Saturday morning.