2015 WGC Cadillac Match Play Inside the Ropes Pics and Videos

[Silent]

Cool to see you captured Luiten as well, both in video and pictures.

[Crim]

Is this the thread for discussion as well?

The Match Play is on Golf Channel now. Marc Leishman is the first winner. He defeated Justin Rose 3&2.

[Crim]

Poulter just slammed his putter into the ground w/ a beautiful little crybaby face. Webb is almost done with him.

[mvmac]

GROUP 1
Rory McIlroy def. Jason Dufner, 5 & 4
Dufner matched McIlroy's birdie on the first hole Wednesday but that's about the only positive thing that happened for the American. Five Dufner bogeys later and McIlroy, the World No. 1, had his first victory of the week. "I did what I needed to do out there," McIlroy said. "Jason didn't have his best stuff, obviously. So just tried to put him under pressure from the start, tried to hit fairways, hit greens, and try and make him force a little bit. "Match play, you just need to beat the person that's in front of you and did that today."
Billy Horschel def. Brandt Snedeker, 5 & 3
Horschel, the 2014 FedExCup champ, essentially had an error-free day against the man who won the $10 million prize in 2012. Horschel made five birdies, winning holes with three of them, and didn't drop a shot to par. Snedeker, on the other hand, had four birdies, four bogeys and one double on an erratic day that saw him trail 3 down at the turn. "I played really good," Horschel said. "... I hit every green except for one, and the one I missed I got away with chipping it in. I played really good. Sneds was just a little off his game today, and that's 5 & 4 right there. "It was nice to see myself playing well. I've been playing good the last couple of months and it just hasn't shown up and hopefully this is a format that can give me a kick start and get me going the right direction for the year."
Rd. 2: McIlroy (1-0) vs. Snedeker (0-1); Horschel (1-0) vs. Dufner (0-1)

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GROUP 2
Jordan Spieth def. Mikko Ilonen, 4 & 2

The Masters champ posted seven birdies en route to an easy victory over the Finn. Spieth's only stumble was a bogey at the third that squared the match, but once he took the lead with a birdie at the par-4 fifth, he never looked back. Ilonen did cut Spieth's lead to 1 up, but the Texan responded with two straight birdies. Said Spieth: "It's good to get off to a good start. I played solid golf today. It got a little interesting there on the back nine. Big turnaround on 12 and 13 to get 3‑up and close it out on 16. I'm extremely pleased."

Lee Westwood def. Matt Every, 1 up

Westwood escaped despite making five bogeys and one double bogey (along with six birdies) when he birdied the par-5 18th, hitting his second shot to 41 feet from 228 yards to set up the two-putt 4. Westwood, whose first Match Play event was in 1999, moved to 12-15 overall in the event. He said he only hit three fairways on Wednesday and was fighting plenty of jet-lag. "It was a real struggle out there," he said. "I scrambled well."

Rd. 2: Westwood (1-0) vs. Ilonen (0-1); Spieth (1-0) vs. Every (0-1)

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GROUP 3
John Senden def. Henrik Stenson, 19 holes
In a close match in which neither player led more than 1 up, Senden birdied the par-5 18th hole to square the match, then claimed the extra hole with a 13-foot birdie putt to knock off the world's No. 3-ranked player. "We really didn't score well today," Senden said of both players. "I was lucky to get that last one."
Bill Haas def. Brendon Todd, 3 & 2
Thanks to four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the front side, Haas took command and then held off a brief Todd rally on the backside. It's only the second match win in six attempts for Haas.
Rd. 2: Stenson (0-1) vs. Todd (0-1); Haas (1-0) vs. Senden (1-0)

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GROUP 4
Bubba Watson def. Miguel Angel Jimenez, 5 & 4
Five years ago, Jimenez beat Watson 4 and 3 in the Ryder Cup. Wednesday was the American's turn to even things as Watson made the turn 5 up and coasted until the end. Watson has gone on to win two Masters since that match at Celtic Manor while the nimble Spaniard has remained competitive despite crossing over into his 50s. "When you hit a lot of fairways with my length, a lot of wedges, a lot of short irons, and that's going to put pressure on somebody, especially of his length," Watson said. "He's going to have a longer shot, 40, 50 yards longer. So he knows that I'm going to hit the green, so he's got to hit something special.  It made it tough on him."
Louis Oosthuizen def. Keegan Bradley, 6 & 5
This outcome was a bit of a surprise given Bradley's proficiency at match play. But Oosthuizen took control with an eagle at the first hole, topping Bradley's birdie, and never looked back. The American gave Oosthuizen two holes with bogeys, lost a third to a birdie and trailed 3 down at the turn. Another Bradley bogey at No. 10 and Oosthuizen's birdie at the 12th quickly gave the former British Open champ a 5-up lead. Bradley then lost the match with a bogey at No. 13.
Rd. 2: Watson (1-0) vs. Bradley (0-1); Oosthuizen (1-0) vs. Jimenez (0-1)

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GROUP 5
Jim Furyk def. George Coetzee, 3 & 2
Playing two weeks after he snapped a victory drought of nearly five years, Furyk was his usual steady self. After Coetzee conceded the sixth hole, Furyk never trailed -- making the turn 2 up and winning the 10th with a par. Consecutive birdies at Nos. 12 and 13 gave Furyk a comfortable cushion and it was only a matter of time. "Just when I had my foot down and felt good, I slipped up on 14 and missed a little one," Furyk said. "I three putted 15 and it was going to be to win the match, little disappointed in that.  Then I didn't hit a good wedge into the last hole, but two putts was good enough to win."
Martin Kaymer def. Thongchai Jaidee, 3 & 1
This match was close through the first 10 holes  with Kaymer taking three 1-up leads and Jaidee squaring the match each time. But birdies on Nos. 11 and 14 gave Kaymer a lead he would not relinquish and he closed out the match at No. 17 with a par to Jaidee's bogey. "Thongchai is a tough one to beat," Kaymer said. "He's very consistent, usually, and he makes some unexpected putts once in a while. "But there were a couple of key moments today, especially on the back nine on 13 and 14, where I made a couple of good putts.  So of course it's nice to start out the week with a win, you're not running behind anything.  So I'm pleased."
Rd. 2: Furyk (1-0) vs. Jaidee (0-1); Kaymer (1-0) vs. Coetzee (0-1)

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GROUP 6
Marc Leishman def. Justin Rose, 3 & 2
Leishman birdied the par-5 first and didn't look back, never relinquishing the lead as he made four birdies on the round. This was just the Aussie's second start after missing a month of action following a life-threatening health scare for his wife. "Probably the difference is I holed the putts that kept the momentum on my side and Rosie probably didn't make the putts that could have switched it," Leishman said. "I was lucky in that respect." Rose, fresh off his win last week in New Orleans, said Leishman "gave me nothing. He upped and downed the ball well when he hit a bad shot."
Anirban Lahiri def. Ryan Palmer, 4 & 2
Lahiri never trailed in this match. The 27-year-old from Bangalore, India, set the tone for the day when he made the first of his six birdies at No. 1. The match ended with a conceded birdie at No. 16.
Rd. 2: Rose (0-1) vs. Lahiri (1-0); Palmer (0-1) vs. Leishman (1-0)

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GROUP 7
Charley Hoffman def. Jason Day, 4 & 3
All square through 11 holes, Hoffman won four consecutive holes to close out the defending champion. Hoffman rolled in an 11-foot birdie putt at the 12th and a 13-footer at the 13th.
Zach Johnson def. Branden Grace, 2 up
Having squared the match by holing out for eagle from 114 yards at the par-4 sixth, Johnson never trailed after that in a tight match against the South African. Johnson had four birdies on the back nine to post his first win in this event since 2010.
Rd. 2: Johnson (1-0) vs. Hoffman (1-0): Day (0-1) vs. Grace (0-1)

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GROUP 8
Dustin Johnson def. Matt Jones, 3 & 1
A trio of back-nine birdies lifted Johnson past Jones. Johnson canned a 14-footer for birdie on the 14th and two-putted for another after driving the 344-yard 16th hole. He closed it out with a par 3 on the 17th when Jones missed the green left and failed to get up-and-down.
Charl Schwartzel def. Victor Dubuisson, 5 & 4
The South African needed just one birdie over 14 holes to roll past the Frenchman, who couldn't get anything started and had to concede the match at the 14th after splashing his drive in the hazard. It was the second hole of the day that Dubuisson had to concede.
Rd. 2: D. Johnson (1-0) vs. Schwartzel (1-0): Dubuisson (0-1) vs. Jones (0-1)

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GROUP 9
Paul Casey def. Chris Kirk, 22 holes
This was the day’s longest match, and it provided plenty of drama. It finally ended when Kirk missed an 8-foot par putt. Kirk made birdie at the 16th hole to square the match, and the competitors halved No. 17 with bogeys and No. 18 with birdies. Kirk hit an incredible approach from the trees on the third extra hole. His low hook from 230 yards ran onto the green and stopped 7 feet from the hole. He missed the birdie putt, though. Kirk’s 44-yard pitch glanced off the flagstick on the next hole, but he missed the par putt.
Francesco Molinari def. Adam Scott, 5 & 4
Molinari, the lowest-ranked player in the field, beat the former Masters champion easily. He got plenty of help from Scott, who made just one birdie and had four bogeys. Molinari had three birdies against a lone bogey. Scott’s bogey at No. 6 put Molinari 2 up, which was the margin at the turn. Molinari won the 10th hole with a birdie, No. 11 with a par and he went 5 up with a birdie at the 13th.
Rd. 2: Scott (0-1) vs. Casey (1-0); Kirk (0-1) vs. Molinari (1-0)

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GROUP 10
Sergio Garcia def. Tommy Fleetwood, 2 up

Fleetwood, playing in his first Match Play, led for the first 14 holes. But then Garcia birdied the 15th from 12 feet and then took the lead when Fleetwood found trouble off the tee and eventually conceded the hole. "Obviously Tommy played really, really strong," Garcia said. "I felt like I played quite well. I missed a couple of chances early on. And then I had probably two or three really important up‑and‑downs."

Jamie Donaldson def. Bernd Wiesberger, 1 up

Behind six birdies, including a tap-in to halve the final hole, Donaldson earned his first victory at this event (1-2). After trailing by 1 on the seventh hole, Donaldson made birdie putts of 13 and 4 feet on Nos. 8 and 9, respectively, to grab a 1-up lead of his own. He didn't trail the rest of the match.

Rd. 2: Garcia (1-0) vs. Wiesberger (0-1); Donaldson (1-0) vs. Fleetwood (0-1)

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GROUP 11
Webb Simpson def. Ian Poulter, 3 & 2
Simpson won four of the first eight holes to defeat the match play specialist. Simpson won two of those holes with birdies but Poulter - the 2009 Cadillac Match Play champ -- was his own worst enemy, making bogey on four par-4 holes on the front.
Gary Woodland def. Jimmy Walker, 19 holes
Woodland saved par from a greenside bunker to prevail in the first match of the day to reach sudden death. Neither player led more than 1 up in a scrappy match Woodland called "ugly." Walker's last lead came on the 15th hole, but he had to concede No. 16 when his ball disappeared in a tree. Woodland then birdied No. 17 to go 1 up and Walker answered with one of his own to send the match into extra holes. Said Woodland: "Had to be a fun match to watch. It wasn't too fun to be in. Neither one of us hit it too well."
Rd. 2: Walker (0-1) vs. Simpson (1-0): Poulter (0-1) vs. Woodland (1-0)

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GROUP 12
Marc Warren def. J.B. Holmes, 2 & 1
Warren never trailed in his first Cadillac Match Play, gaining a 3-up advantage early as Holmes bogeyed three of his first four holes. Holmes battled back and squared the match with a birdie at the 15th hole but lost the next two -- and the match -- with a bogey and a double bogey. "I think it's fair to say neither of us were at our best today," Warren said. "I think I was probably a little more solid on the greens."
Brooks Koepka def. Russell Henley, 1 up
Neither player led more than 1 up in this hard-fought match. The match was square at the turn after Koepka had led for two holes and Henley for four. Koepka, the rookie, won the 10th before Henley went 1 up with a par and a birdie at Nos. 12 and 13, respectively. Koepka squared the match again with a birdie at No. 15, then won the 17th with a par and the match when he matched Henley's birdie at No. 18. "It was interesting," Koepka said. "Got off to a pretty bad start. I was kind of spraying the ball everywhere, but I hung in there.  It was nice to play pretty well down the stretch."
Rd 2: J.B. Holmes (0-1) vs. Russell Henley (0-1); Brooks Koepka (1-0) vs. Marc Warren

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GROUP 13
Rickie Fowler def. Harris English, 1 up

Most of the action in this match happened on the final nine holes. English led 1 up twice on the front but he bogeyed No. 9 so the duo went to the back nine all square. Fowler essentially took control when he went birdie-par-birdie and gained a 3-up advantage through 12 holes. English wasn't done yet, though -- winning the 14th with a birdie and the 15th with a par. Fowler then birdied No. 16 and bogeyed the 17th but sealed the win when the two halved No. 18 with birdies. "We had a good time going back and forth," Fowler said. "I went on a little bit of a run. He gave me one of the holes with par, made two birdies, and I think I went four straight holes and it kind of gave me momentum. Made it a little interesting coming in, got close."

Shane Lowry def. Graeme McDowell, 1 up

The tone in this match was set early when Lowry went 2 up with a birdie on the first and McDowell's bogey at the second. McDowell managed to square the match with a birdie at No. 9 but Lowry regained the 2-up advantage with birdies at Nos. 12 and 16, then hung on for the win. "Graeme beat me two years ago in this, in the last 16," Lowry said. "I kind of owed him one.  I play a lot of practice rounds with Graeme.  To be honest, I don't beat him very often, so it was nice to get one over on him today."

Rd. 2: Fowler (1-0) vs. Lowry (1-0); McDowell (0-1) def. English (0-1)

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GROUP 14
Hunter Mahan def. Stephen Gallacher, 7 & 6
Mahan made a trio of birdies on the front nine and took advantage of three Gallacher bogeys on the same segment to make the turn 5 up. He won the 10th with another birdie and closed out the match when Gallacher couldn't match Mahan's birdie at No. 12. Mahan, the 2012 champ, is now 18-6 in his Cadillac Match Play career.
Ben Martin def. Matt Kuchar, 1 up
Quite a day for the PGA TOUR rookie, who aced the par-3 17th to take a lead for the first time and then halved the final hole to defeat the 2013 champ. Kuchar had led after seven of the first 13 holes, but a bogey on the 14th squared the match. It was just the fifth loss for Kuchar (against 17 wins) in his Cadillac Match Play career.
Rd. 2: Mahan (1-0) vs. Martin (1-0); Kuchar (0-1) vs. Gallacher (0-1)

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GROUP 15
Patrick Reed def. Andy Sullivan, 2 & 1
Reed overcame an early 2-down lead, spearheaded by a tap-in birdie on the par-4 15th after stuffing his 136-yard approach. Reed sealed it on the par-3 17th after getting up-and-down for par while Sullivan could not convert his par attempt from 21 feet.
Danny Willet def. Ryan Moore, 3 & 2
Willet had a fairly easy victory while making just two birdies on the day. Moore struggled mightily off the tee. He squared the match with a birdie on the fourth before the wheels came off. He bogeyed the seventh, 10th and double-bogeyed the 14th hole when his tee shot found the native area.
Rd. 2: Reed (1-0) vs. Willet (1-0); Moore (0-1) vs. Sullivan (0-1)

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GROUP 16
Hideki Matsuyama def. Alexander Levy, 5 & 4
Matsuyama, who won the Memorial Tournament last year, won the first hole with a birdie and never looked back in his battle with the Cadillac Match Play rookie. Still, Levy went to the back nine just 2 down after a bogey at the ninth hole but Matsuyama gained the upper hand with a pair of birdies at Nos. 12 and 13. A Levy bogey at No. 14 gave Matsuyama the victory.
Joost Luiten def. Kevin Na, 19 holes
Na looked to have control of the match when he made a 6-foot birdie putt at No. 16 to go 2 up with two holes remaining. Na made bogey at the next hole, though, and Luiten’s 8-foot birdie putt at the 18th snuck in the hole to force extra holes. Na made bogey on the first extra hole, the par-5 first, to lose the match. It was his third consecutive lost hole. Na’s third shot ran through the green and he failed to get up-and-down to give Luiten the victory.
Rd. 2: Matsuyama (1-0) vs. Luiten (1-0); Na (0-1) vs. Levy (0-1)

[boogielicious]

Its like @mvmac is our personal sideline reporter!  Many Thanks!

[65ross]

Looking at today results Basic statistics USA players 46.875% wins, Others 53.125% wins. Predict by the weekend there will be a higher percentage of players outside USA remain in the final sixteen. Will be interesting watching, and a few more upsets to come. Be a real outside chance to pick a champion at this stage.

[DeadMan]

Spieth beating Ilonen 4 & 2 is fairly impressive. Ilonen's match play record is really good. Good for Jordan.

Also, Poulter going down. Interesting. I like this new format - just wish I could watch it all day online.

[Silent]

Hmmmm

[Crim]

Spieth beating Ilonen 4 & 2 is fairly impressive. Ilonen's match play record is really good. Good for Jordan.

Also, Poulter going down. Interesting. I like this new format - just wish I could watch it all day online.

Molinari defeating Adam Scott 5&4 was the biggest WTF moment of the day for me.

[Crim]

Jim Furyk vs Jaidee should be starting things off here in 1 minute.

DAY 2 BABY!

<3 match play.

[mvmac]

Added 5 more swings to this post http://thesandtrap.com/t/81559/2015-wgc-cadillac-match-play-inside-the-ropes-pics-and-videos/36#post_1135625

[Crim]

I don't know where you'd find the stats, but I'd almost be willing to bet that Rory hits it closer to the pin on shots from 120 to 180. Rather than 60 to 120. This is simply based on nothing other than what I tend to see on every single damn hole he plays.

[Golfingdad]

I don't know where you'd find the stats, but I'd almost be willing to bet that Rory hits it closer to the pin on shots from 120 to 180. Rather than 60 to 120. This is simply based on nothing other than what I tend to see on every single damn hole he plays.

http://www.pgatour.com/players/player.28237.rory-mcilroy.html/statistics

From 50-75 he's at    32'

75-100                     16'

100-125                   21'

125-150                  30.5'

150-175                  25.5'

175-200                  40'

>200                       45'

You lump all of the shots from 50-125 together and it's 21'

Lump all of the shots from 125-175 together and it's 27'

So, your perception is actually not THAT far off.  You could tweak your statement to make it sound even MORE ridiculous and hyperbolic, and then you'd be RIGHT!

I don't know where you'd find the stats, but I'd almost be willing to bet that Rory hits it closer to the pin on shots from 150 to 175. Rather than 50 to 75. This is simply based on nothing other than what I tend to see on every single damn hole he plays.

[tmac20]

What I don't like about this format is this: Victor Dubuisson is eliminated from moving on to the next round. What is the point of him even trying against Dustin Johnson tomorrow? If I liked the guy, I'd be giving him 20 foot putts on every hole.

[Golfingdad]

What I don't like about this format is this: Victor Dubuisson is eliminated from moving on to the next round. What is the point of him even trying against Dustin Johnson tomorrow? If I liked the guy, I'd be giving him 20 foot putts on every hole.

Besides pride and professional ethics?

No idea.

[tmac20]

Besides pride and professional ethics? No idea.

Those things don't exist in golf. :-P

[RJH999]

What I don't like about this format is this: Victor Dubuisson is eliminated from moving on to the next round. What is the point of him even trying against Dustin Johnson tomorrow? If I liked the guy, I'd be giving him 20 foot putts on every hole.

Yeah but it's the same as a rich dude who's tied for 53rd after Saturday and has nothing to play for.

[joekelly]

Do only the pool winners, the final 16, get any money payout?   Or does every guy get paid to play regardless of results?