2015 WGC Cadillac Match Play Inside the Ropes Pics and Videos

[RJH999]

Believe it or not, "Andy Sullivan" is NOT my chemistry teacher. I'm shocked too.

[ChrisP]

I really want to see Spieth vs. McIlroy. I doubt it will happen because we never get what we want, but I want to see the ball-striker vs. the putter. Would be such a good match.

[mvmac]

2015 World Golf Championships-Cadillac Match Play - Third-Round Scenarios GROUP 1: Rory McIlroy and Billy Horschel will meet in R3 with the winner advancing to the round of 16. Brandt Snedeker and Jason Dufner cannot advance. GROUP 2: The winner of the Jordan Spieth and Lee Westwood match in R3 will determine who advances to the round of 16. Mikko Ilonen and Matt Every cannot advance. GROUP 3: John Senden advances to the round of 16. Bill Haas, Brendon Todd and Henrik Stenson cannot advance. GROUP 4: Bubba Watson and Louis Oosthuizen will meet in R3 with the winner moving on. Keegan Bradley and M.A. Jimenez cannot advance. GROUP 5: Jim Furyk and Thongchai Jaidee win in R3 then Jaidee advances Jim Furyk and George Coetzee win in R3 then Furyk advances Martin Kaymer and Thongchai Jaidee win in R3 then Kaymer advances Martin Kaymer and George Coetzee win in R3 then Coetzee advances GROUP 6: If Marc Leishman wins his R3 match he advances to the round of 16. If Anirban Lahiri defeats Leishman and Justin Rose defeats Ryan Palmer then there will be a three-way playoff. If Lahiri defeats Leishman and Rose loses to Palmer then Lahiri advances. GROUP 7: Charley Hoffman will advance with a win in R3. If Hoffman loses to Branden Grace and Zach Johnson defeats Jason Day then there will be a three-way playoff. If Hoffman loses to Grace and Johnson loses to Day then Grace will advance. GROUP 8: If Charl Schwartzel wins he advances to the round of 16. If Matt Jones defeats Schwartzel and Dustin Johnson defeats Victor Dubuisson then there will be a three-way playoff. If Jones defeats Schwartzel and Johnson loses to Dubuisson then Jones advances. GROUP 9: If Paul Casey wins his R3 match he advances. If Casey loses to Francesco Molinari in R3 and Chris Kirk wins then there will be a three-way playoff. If Casey loses to Molinari and Kirk loses to Adam Scott then Molinari advances. GROUP 10: Bernd Wiesberger and Jamie Donaldson win in R3 then Donaldson advances Bernd Wiesberger and Sergio Garcia win in R3 then Weisberger advances Tommy Fleetwood and Sergio Garcia win in R3 then Garcia advances Tommy Fleetwood and Jamie Donaldson win in R3 then Fleetwood advances GROUP 11: Gary Woodland and Webb Simpson will meet in R3 with the winner advancing to the round of 16. Jimmy Walker and Ian Poulter cannot advance. GROUP 12: If Brooks Koepka defeats J.B. Holmes in R3 then Koepka advances. If Koepka loses in R3 and Marc Warren wins then there will be a three-way playoff with Holmes. If Koepka loses to Holmes in R3 and Warren loses then Holmes advances to the round of 16 GROUP 13: Rickie Fowler has advanced to the round of 16. Shane Lowry, Harris English and Graeme McDowell cannot advance. GROUP 14: Hunter Mahan will advance win a win over Matt Kuchar in R3. If Kuchar defeats Mahan and Ben Martin defeats Stephen Gallacher there will be a three-way playoff. If Kuchar defeats Mahan and Martin loses to Gallacher then Kuchar will advance. GROUP 15: Danny Willet will advance with a victory in R3 over Andy Sullivan. If Willet loses to Sullivan and Patrick Reed loses to Ryan Moore then Sullivan will advance. If Willet loses to Sullivan and Reed defeats Moore then there will be a three-way playoff. GROUP 16: If Hideki Matsuyama wins his R3 match he advances. If Matsuyama loses to Kevin Na in R3 and Joost Luiten defeats Alexander Levy then there will be a three-way playoff. If Matsuyama loses to Na in R3 and Luiten loses then Na will advance to the round of 16.

[Silent]

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

I disagree. Being 53rd after round three you still have chances on a good round to climb towards the top 30 for example. Higher on the leaderboard means more points for the OWGR and more money. But in this current Matchplay format it really makes no difference whatsoever if you finish 2nd, 3rd or 4rd in the group. So Dubuisson for example really has absolutely nothing to play for today.

[Crim]

So Dubuisson for example really has absolutely nothing to play for today.

Some people take their match play record seriously. But yeah I'm not so sure Victor is one of those people. His fall from grace has been pretty crazy since last year's match play. I'm surprised he's still ranked in the top 25 in the world.

So Rickie Fowler is the only golfer who's advanced to the weekend? That's pretty awesome, grats to him. I remember he did well last year too.

[Crim]

I like the way Mahan, Leishman, & Spieth are playing. Bubba is looking pretty good too.

Rory & Fowler? I don't know, both of them are 2-0 but watching them you just don't get the feeling they're at the top of their game.

If I had to pick a winner from this point, I'd probably go with Spieth.

[Jakester23]

I hope Billy Horschel can knock out Rory. I like Billy ' s game and his swing is pleasing to the eye.

[DaNutz303]

I disagree. Being 53rd after round three you still have chances on a good round to climb towards the top 30 for example. Higher on the leaderboard means more points for the OWGR and more money. But in this current Matchplay format it really makes no difference whatsoever if you finish 2nd, 3rd or 4rd in the group. So Dubuisson for example really has absolutely nothing to play for today.

Not exactly true.  Record in pool play does impact your position and payouts.  2-1 players will be T17; 1-2 will finish TXX depending on how many 2-1.  Ext.

[Silent]

Not exactly true.  Record in pool play does impact your position and payouts.  2-1 players will be T17; 1-2 will finish TXX depending on how many 2-1.  Ext.

Thanks, I didn't know that. I stand corrected.

[RJH999]

Some people take their match play record seriously. But yeah I'm not so sure Victor is one of those people. His fall from grace has been pretty crazy since last year's match play. I'm surprised he's still ranked in the top 25 in the world.  So Rickie Fowler is the only golfer who's advanced to the weekend? That's pretty awesome, grats to him. I remember he did well last year too.

And John Senden!

[Crim]

I hope Billy Horschel can knock out Rory. I like Billy ' s game and his swing is pleasing to the eye.

I'd take Horschel today. Rory's game is mediocre right now as far as Rory standards go. He can still win with mediocre, though. I just feel his mindset might be on a boxing match instead of a golf match.

And John Senden!

Joel Holden

https://twitter.com/JHolden138

[DeadMan]

Horschel and Rory have some history in match play from the Walker Cup, too. Could be interesting...

[mvmac]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeadMan

Horschel and Rory have some history in match play from the Walker Cup, too. Could be interesting...

http://www.worldgolfchampionships.com/cadillac-match-play/news/2015/04/30/rory-mcilroy-billy-horschel-match-play.html

Quote:

SAN FRANCISCO -- The last time Rory McIlroy and Billy Horschel played one another in match play, McIlroy came away “pissed off” and thought Horschel was “loud and obnoxious.”

Horschel, who was given the nickname “Steve-O” by his Walker Cup teammates because he looked like the television prankster, admits he probably did act like a “jackass” at the time.

It was the 2007 Walker Cup and the backdrop was Royal County Down, an hour south of where McIlroy grew up in Northern Ireland. Horschel, 20 years old at the time, beat the 18-year-old McIlroy twice -- first in singles, 1 up, and then in foursomes with Rickie Fowler, 2 and 1. McIlroy bounced back by beating Horschel in Sunday’s singles, but it was Horschel’s antics in the amateur matches that most remember.

One incident occurred on the 14th hole of their foursomes match when Horschel hit a difficult bunker shot to within inches of the cup and came screaming across the green yelling, “Yeah, baby!”

The next day McIlroy responded by ripping a drive down the middle of the par-5 first, hitting his second shot to 15 feet and shouting “Be good!” while the ball was in the air. He made the putt for eagle and went on to bury Horschel, 4 and 2. The Americans won, but McIlroy took satisfaction in beating Horschel, telling an Irish newspaper afterward that Horschel “wasn’t a nice guy to be around” and that he was “using gamesmanship and stuff and it was just ridiculous.”

Seven years later, they’ll meet again with a lot on the line. Each went 2-0 in their first two matches of the WGC-Cadillac Match Play and the winner of Friday’s contest at TPC Harding Park will advance to the final 16 with the loser going home.

“I'm looking forward to it,” McIlroy said. “Billy seems like he's playing well.”

Both are.

McIlroy dusted Jason Dufner, 5 and 4, on the first day at TPC Harding Park, and Horschel did the same to Brandt Snedeker. Thursday, Horschel beat Dufner, 3 and 2, while McIlroy held on to beat Snedeker, 2 up.

In his two matches, McIlroy made five birdies, no bogeys and never trailed. Horschel was even better with 10 birdies and one double bogey. He led for 29 of 30 holes.

“I think this format lends itself to me being aggressive but also putting the pressure back on my opponents,” Horschel said. “I'm a guy that hits a lot of fairways and a lot of greens, so there's really not a lot of pressure on me.

“I'm not worried about the score out there. Sometimes when I play a regular tournament I'm so much focused on score I get taken out of what I need to do. In this I'm just trying to hit the best shot in this part of the fairway, this part of the green to put the pressure on my opponent and see if he can match me.”

As for the bad blood that existed between McIlroy and Horschel eight years ago? It has long since washed away. Both have matured and so have their games.

McIlroy is a four-time major winner and the No. 1 player in the world. Horschel has three career wins, including the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, and is the defending FedExCup champion.

“Fortunately, he's mellowed considerably since (2007),” McIlroy said. “We've got a much better relationship now than we did after that Walker Cup.”

That’s not to say each didn’t notice the other’s name when they saw the draw. McIlroy admitted that he had a chuckle, while Horschel realized it wouldn’t be the easiest group to survive.

Friday, only one of them will. This time, though, both said it will be just about the golf.

“Me and Rory have a great relationship now,” Horschel said. “No tension between us at all. A lot of people want to look at the Walker Cup and say, you know, there's going to be something going on (Friday). But, you know, there's something that's more recent, the TOUR Championship, FedExCup. If he wins the TOUR Championship and wins the FedExCup that's probably one of the top five greatest seasons of all time. And I was the roadblock. I stopped him from that. If anything, he's going to come out with a little bit more, not that he needs it, but a little more fuel to maybe redeem himself from that.”

[Crim]

The first match of the 3rd round, Justin Rose vs Ryan Palmer starts in a couple minutes.

[FaldosEgo]

The golf channel coverage has been terrible. It's like they only show one shot per hole and many times don't even show how the hole finished.

[ChrisP]

With some big names being knocked out early, NBC is on their hands and knees right now praying for Spieth and McIlroy.

[RJH999]

Lee Westwood! Atta boy! Spieth is going home!

[ChrisP]

Damn there goes my dream of spieth vs mcilroy. The way this is going we'll get a Senden-Leishman final.