Monday 28 March 2016 00:22, UK
Jason Day marked his return to world No 1 by beating Rory McIlroy to set up a WGC-Dell Match Play final against Louis Oosthuizen.
Victory over Brooks Koepka on Saturday ensured the US PGA champion would return to the top of the world rankings on Monday and he added an exclamation mark to that with a one-hole victory over the former world No 1 in a rollercoaster match.
Day birdied the first to take the lead, but the fairway proved elusive to the Australian at the second as he ran up a double bogey to give McIlroy the hole.
McIlroy edged into the lead at the par-five sixth where he was inches away from an eagle, but Day responded by making a two at the seventh.
The topsy-turvy nature of the match, full of quality as you would expect, saw McIlroy move back into the lead with a birdie at the eighth but Day turned the game back in his favour with a sensational run from the 10th.
He birdied three out of his next four holes to move into a two-hole lead, only for McIlroy to fight back with a birdie of his own at the 14th.
McIlroy had a golden chance to level the game heading into the final hole, but his 16 footer at the 17th lipped out.
Both players were wild off the 18th tee, Day lucky not to be stymied behind a tree, and neither could find the green with their approach shot, albeit McIlroy in a more favourable position.
But McIlroy's putt from off the green was almost chunked, and Day was able to convert a curling par putt from around 12 feet to secure victory and end what had been a thrilling contest of high quality golf.
Oosthuizen had things much easier as he powered past Rafa Cabrera Bello 4&3 with the Spaniard unable to match the former Open champion's scoring on the front nine.
The South African won the opening hole with a birdie and he moved into a three-hole advantage when Cabrera Bello carded three successive fives from the fifth.
Cabrera Bello reduced the gap to one at the end of the front nine, although both of his hole victories were down to mistakes from Oosthuizen as he continued to struggle finding birdies.
A birdie at the 10th restored a two-hole lead for Oosthuizen and he made it three at the 14th before sealing victory with three holes remaining when Cabrera Bello could not match his par at the 15th.
