Y. E. Yang
BUBBA WATSON (5) def. GEOFF OGILVY (8), 6 and 4
In a surprising rout, Watson eliminated the two-time Accenture Match Play champion with a terrific display of golf, essentially shooting 9 under in 14 holes. "Went good out there today," Watson said. Indeed, he had five birdies, one eagle and one bogey on his scorecard but was also conceded another birdie and another eagle to beat the Australian, who played admirably himself in losing for just the fourth time in 24 career matches in this event. "He played very well," Ogilvy said. "It's hard to play a guy that plays that well." Watson, one of the longest drivers on TOUR, used that advantage in winning three of the four par-5 holes Friday. He birdied two of them (holes 2 and 8), eagled another (the 13th) and was conceded the 11th before he could attempt an eagle putt from inside 15 feet. But his iron play was just as impressive. Having won the first two holes, Ogilvy struck his approach shot at the par-4 third to inside 10 feet for birdie. He drained the putt, putting him 3 up and putting Ogilvy back on his heels. The Aussie answered with a birdie at the 5th, but he failed to win the 7th despite making a 22-foot birdie putt. That's because Watson struck his approach to five feet for an easy birdie to halve the hole. On the next hole, Watson hit a tremendous approach shot from the native area, finding the green for a two-putt birdie to again deny Ogilvy the hole. Watson's lone bogey of the day dropped his lead to 1 up at the turn, but on the 10th, he won the hole with a 12-1/2 foot birdie putt. Ogilvy then conceded the 11th to Watson, whose second shot on the par-5 hole landed inside 15 feet. Ogilvy, 4 down, then bogeyed the par-3 12th when he found the rough with his tee shot. At the 13th, Watson rolled in an eagle putt just inside 17 feet. Watson finished off the match with a flourish, hitting another great approach shot to within four feet at the 14th, with Ogilvy ultimately conceding the hole and the match.
Next opponent for Watson: J.B. Holmes winner
J.B. HOLMES (6) def. JASON DAY (10), 1 up
Holmes' Cinderella run continued as he claimed the decisive 18th hole to knock out the young Aussie, who had impressed in wins over Anthony Kim and Paul Casey in the first two days. Holmes, a late edition to the field as the fill-in for an injured Tim Clark, is through to the quarters in just his second appearance in this event. Day did not have to play the 17th and 18th holes in either of the first two rounds, but he had to do so Friday -- and he bogeyed each one to lose control of the match. Day was 1 up heading to 17, but he failed to reach the green in regulation and his third shot left him more than 42 feet from the pin as he failed to save par. Now all square going into 18, Day did the one thing he could not do -- find the back bunker at the 18th. That left him with no chance to get it close to the pin, and he ended up with another par putt of about 40 feet. Meanwhile, Holmes was in a similar position, although he was putting for birdie. When Holmes rolled his putt to within two feet, Day conceded. Holmes was not spectacular -- he was even par on the day -- but he was steadied himself after bogeys on the fifth and sixth holes. From there, he was a bogey-free 1 under on the last 12 holes. Day was a rollercoaster 1 over, with five birdies, four bogeys and one double.
Next opponent for Holmes: Bubba Watson
MATT KUCHAR (4) def. RICKIE FOWLER (8), 2 and 1
Kuchar never trailed in his match with Fowler, but that certainly doesn't mean it was easy. There were adventures in the desert, penalty shots and encounters with cacti and sagebrush to entertain the ample crowd. But in the end, the steady 1997 U.S. Amateur champ won out over Fowler, who was coming off a 6 and 5 win over Phil Mickelson in the second round. "I think I'm lucky I didn't run into him yesterday," Kuchar said. "It sounded like yesterday he was on fire and would have cleaned me out yesterday. Kuchar birdied the first two holes, one to keep pace and the second to win the hole, then went 2 up when Fowler bogeyed the third. But Fowler battled back to square the match with birdies at the sixth and eighth holes before the two visited the desert on opposite sides of the fairway at the 10th hole and Kuchar won with a bogey. "I was lucky to win that hole," Kuchar said. Fowler then bogeyed the next two holes to put Kuchar 3 up. "I'm disappointed about 11 and 12, missing some little up and downs and short putts that I thought definitely helped the match go the other way," Fowler said. The 22-year-old did manage to win two more holes -- the 15th with his third straight birdie and the 16th with a par. But the match ended when Kuchar staked his approach at the 17th hole to 5 feet and Fowler couldn't get up and down from behind the green.
Next opponent for Kuchar: Y.E. Yang
Y.E. YANG (11) def. GRAEME McDOWELL (2), 3 and 2
The Korean finished off the reigning U.S. Open champ in style, chipping in from the intermediate rough just off the green at the 16th hole for the winning birdie. That was Yang's fourth consecutive birdie on the back nine in a round that included eight birdies, two bogeys and a double. Yang has now beaten Alvaro Quiros, Stewart Cink and McDowell in making an impressive run to his first quarterfinals appearance in this event. Yang jumped out to an early lead, with three birdies in his first four holes. The latter two put him 2 up, but he gave back a hole with a bogey at the fifth. McDowell, though, gave it right back with a bogey at the par-3 sixth when he found the greenside bunker. He then failed to win the 8th hole when he missed a birdie putt inside four feet. Still, he clawed back, managing to square the match when Yang made a mess of things at the 10th. The match remained squared heading to the 14th, but that's when Yang pulled away with that birdie streak. His approach shot at the 14th landed inside seven feet, and his approach on the 15th rolled to within four feet, setting the stage for Yang's dramatic finish.
Next opponent for Yang: Matt Kuchar
MIGUEL A. JIMENEZ (6) def. BEN CRANE (10), 7 and 6
Now Crane knows how Rory McIlroy felt after the American blitzed him 8 and 7 in the second round. Jimenez was in control from the outset Friday as Crane made the first of his five bogeys on No. 1 and the Spaniard birdied Nos. 2, 3 and 4 to grab a 4 up advantage. Jimenez two-putted the second from 44 feet, made a 4-footer at No. 3 and drained a 14-footer for birdie at the fourth during that torrid stretch. Crane then gave Jimenez three straight holes with bogeys starting at the eighth hole and found himself 7 down at the 11th tee. All that remained was for the two men to halve the next two holes with birdies before Jimenez could put another match in the win column. The red-haired, pony-tailed Spaniard, who is called "The Mechanic," is the oldest player remaining in the field at 47. He's now in the quarterfinals for the second time in 10 appearances and his record has improved to 9-9 overall.
Next opponent for Jimenez: Martin Kaymer
MARTIN KAYMER (1) def. HUNTER MAHAN (5), 2 and 1
LUKE DONALD (3) def. MATTEO MANASSERO (15), 3 and 2
Donald led from the outset in his match with the Italian teen, who had already knocked out the steady world No. 8 Steve Stricker. Donald, who clocks in at No. 9, wasn't going to be another upset victim, though, and he set the tone for the day early. Three birdies and a par to Manassero's bogey had Donald leading 4 up by the seventh hole. Manassero won the eighth with a birdie but Donald came back with a 16-footer at the ninth to make the turn 4 up. Donald then gained a 5-up advantage, his largest of the day, after the 17-year-old bogeyed the 10th hole, leaving his third shot in the bunker. But Manassero refused to fold, holing an eagle chip from 44 yards at the par-5 13th and making birdie at No. 15 to narrow the gap to 3 down. But the match was dormie at that point, and only a Herculean effort could avoid the loss. Donald then proceeded to two-putt for par at No. 16 to seal the victory. You've got to expect to see the two on the same European Ryder Cup team down the road, though. And Manassero still has two years to become the youngest player ever to win a PGA TOUR event. "It was a good win," Donald said. "I knew he was going to be a tough competitor."
Next opponent for Donald: Ryan Moore
RYAN MOORE (12) def. NICK WATNEY (8), 19 holes
