DeChambeau missed a putt on the final hole to lose the match to Westwood; World No 22 tied first game with Richard Bland and is now out; Ireland's Seamus Power is set to secure a Masters debut as Ian Poulter's absence from Augusta National was confirmed on day two
Friday 25 March 2022 09:37, UK
Bryson DeChambeau will not progress into the knockouts after losing to Lee Westwood at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play on Thursday.
Westwood finished eagle, birdie, par to beat former US Open champion DeChambeau, who missed a 9ft putt on the final hole to tie the match.
DeChambeau was making his first appearance since February's Saudi International due to wrist and hip injuries and had said prior to the competition that he would be unable to play at full speed.
DeChambeau took the lead in the game after a birdie on the par-4 third hole but Westwood hit back on the next hole after he sunk a 12ft putt for birdie on the par-3.
Westwood extended his lead to move two up thru 12 holes before world No 22 DeChambeau won three holes in a row to be one up thru 15 holes.
Westwood then eagled the par-5 16th to tie the match, after driving the ball 370 yards off the tee and sticking his second to 8ft from the pin. The 48-year-old then held his nerve to see out the match on the final hole.
Meanwhile, Ireland's Seamus Power is set to secure a Masters debut as Ian Poulter's absence from Augusta National was confirmed on day two.
Poulter's chances were already slim after an opening loss at Austin Country Club and a 4 and 2 defeat to Ryder Cup team-mate Matt Fitzpatrick confirmed that he will miss the Masters for just the third time since his debut in 2004.
The 46-year-old had needed to reach the quarter-finals to climb from 67th in the world rankings to inside the top 50 ahead of Monday's deadline, while Power began the week 48th in the standings.
An opening 5 and 4 victory over Sungjae Im strengthened Power's position and victory by the same margin over world number four Patrick Cantlay means the 35-year-old is almost certain to receive a Masters invite for the first time.
"I didn't make too many mistakes and obviously I caught Patrick on a day when he didn't play his best, so I was able to take advantage," said Power, who made just one birdie in 14 holes and will need just a half point against Keith Mitchell on Friday to win group four.
England's Richard Bland also remains on course to secure a Masters debut at the age of 49 thanks to a nerve-wracking victory over Talor Gooch.
Bland saw an early four-hole lead wiped out by a determined Gooch, but then birdied the 17th to edge back in front and a par on the last secured the win.
"I don't need this stress at this time of my life, I should be taking it easy," joked Bland, who will win the group by beating Westwood on Friday.
Paul Casey is out after conceding his second match of the week, this time without hitting a single shot.
Casey completed two holes of his opening contest with Corey Conners and hit his tee shot on the third before withdrawing due to back spasms on Wednesday.
The 44-year-old Englishman had hoped to be fit to face former Ryder Cup team-mate Alex Noren on Thursday, but withdrew at the last minute.
Casey has now confirmed that he will not play Friday's match against Louis Oosthuizen either and as a result, Oosthuizen will receive the match point.
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