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WGC-Match Play: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Through Two Rounds

By Tim Letcher

AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 25: Sergio Garcia of Spain plays his shot on the third tee in his match against Tyrrell Hatton of England during the second round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 25, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TEXAS - MARCH 25: Sergio Garcia of Spain plays his shot on the third tee in his match against Tyrrell Hatton of England during the second round of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club on March 25, 2021 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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There has been some good, some bad and some ugly during the first two days of the 2021 WGC-Match Play in Austin. Here’s a look at what has stood out through two rounds of matches.

The Good

Sergio Garcia – It’s been an impressive two days for Garcia in Austin. Sergio opened play on Wednesday by topping Lee Westwood in easy fashion, 4&3. On Thursday, he topped eighth-seeded Tyrrell Hatton 3&2 to move to 2-0-0 this week.

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Robert MacIntyre – It’s been a couple of good days for MacIntyre. He topped Kevin Na 2&1 on Wednesday then halved his match with Dustin Johnson on Thursday. Not many people, other than MacIntyre, expected that he would be 1-0-1 through two days.

Mackenzie Hughes – Facing the red-hot Paul Casey in his first match on Wednesday, Hughes had no problem, winning 3&3. Hughes then pounded Webb Simpson 4&3 on Thursday in another surprise.

The Bad

Justin Thomas – He entered the event as the second seed and coming off a win at the Players Championship. But Thomas has managed to lose both of his matches so far, falling 3&2 to Matt Kuchar on Wednesday and 2&1 to Kevin Kisner on Thursday.

Viktor Hovland – Some thought that Hovland could make a run this week. Instead, he has dropped his first two matches. Hovland lost 4&2 to Kevin Streelman on Wednesday. Then on Thursday, Hovland fell 4&2 to Bernd Wiesberger.

Hideki Matsuyama – He remains a mystery. So much talent, yet he doesn’t consistently produce results, including this week. Matsuyama lost to Carlos Ortiz 4&3 on Wednesday, then lost to Brian Harman 1-down on Thursday.

The Ugly

Rory McIlroy vs. Ian Poulter – No one was surprised that Poulter, a match play expert, won this match. But he absolutely dominated McIlroy from start to finish. Luckily, Rory bounced back on Thursday.

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Tony Finau vs. Dylan Frittelli – Much like McIlroy against Poulter, Finau came in as a heavy favorite over Frittelli. And, just like McIlroy, Finau got smoked, 6&5.

Webb Simpson vs. Talor Gooch – This was the other Wednesday match that was a blowout, ironically by the same 6&5 score. Simpson did not win a hole until the fifth, then won six of the next nine to close out the match.

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