Monday 27 March 2017 00:41, UK
Dustin Johnson remained on course to create World Golf Championship history after cruising into the semi-finals of the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin.
The red-hot world No 1 needs two more wins to become the first player to win all four current WGC titles, and he brushed aside Zach Johnson in a one-sided last -6 encounter while overcoming an erratic stretch against Alex Noren before getting back on the birdie trail in a 3&2 win over the Swede.
Johnson will face surprise package Hideto Tanihara after he ended the impressive run of Ross Fisher, whose consolation was guaranteeing himself a place in the field at The Masters having beaten two-time Augusta champion Bubba Watson on Saturday morning.
Phil Mickelson beat Marc Leishman before bowing out to Bill Haas in the last eight, while Jon Rahm continued his birdie blitz at the Austin Country Club as he produced the two biggest victories of the fourth day - crushing Charles Howell III 6&4 and Soren Kjeldsen 7&5.
But Johnson will be the overwhelming favourite heading into the final day after another masterful performance, with all aspects of his game looking in the highest order with less than two weeks to go until the first major of the year.
The US Open champion won three of the last four holes of the front nine against Zach Johnson to take a four-hole lead at the turn, and he even escaped with a half in fives at the short 11th when he found water off the tee, only for his opponent to follow him into the drink.
After completing a 5&4 victory with back-to-back birdies at 13 and 14, the top seed then raced three up after three holes against Noren, who had earlier beaten Brooks Koepka 3&1.
Johnson remained three up at the turn, but he missed a three-foot par putt at the 10th and then hit his tee shot at the 11th into the water for the second time in the day.
Noren then drained a 40-foot birdie putt to level the contest at the next but Johnson, who is aiming for his third straight title having won at Riviera and in Mexico, bounced back with winning birdies at 13 and 15 and another at the 16th sealed his place in the last four.
Tanihara took another notable scalp in the last 16 when birdies at 16 and 17 clinched a 2&1 win over Paul Casey, and the 54th seed then took advantage of an erratic stretch from Fisher as he won four consecutive holes to go four up at the turn.
Fisher managed to extend the match with back-to-back birdies at 14 and 15, but the game was up at the next as he was safe in the knowledge that he would be returning to Augusta National for the first time since 2012.
Mickelson took control of his clash with Leishman with a run of four wins in five holes which swept his five up after 10, and although the Bay Hill champion reduced the deficit with birdies at 11 and 12, he was shaking hands after a bogey at 15 with the American just six feet away in two.
But Haas, who beat Kevin Na in the only match of the day to go to the 18th, raced into a three-up lead over Mickelson with birdies at the third, fifth and sixth.
Mickelson got one back with a birdie at 10 and a par at the long 12th was enough to cut the arrears to one, but Haas knocked a sublime second to three feet to win the 15th and matched Mickelson's birdie at 16 before holing from six feet for par at the penultimate hole to wrap up a 2&1 win.
Rahm was the first man to reach the last four on a day in which he made nine birdies and one eagle and needed only 27 holes to advance.
Kjeldsen, who ended Rory McIlroy's hopes in the group stages, cruised to a 5&4 win over William McGirt but lost his way early on in the quarter-finals, gifting Rahm wins with bogeys at the first and third.
Rahm extended his lead with an eagle at the sixth, drilling a stunning 240-yard second to four feet, and birdies at 10 and 12 took him six clear before the veteran Dane conceded defeat on the 13th.
