MARANA, Ariz. — Hotter than his matching pink shirt and shoes, Rickie Fowler led a dynamic charge of the next generation Thursday in the Match Play Championship.
Fowler brought the course to life as much with his golf game as his colorful attire, making two eagles in a span of three holes to send Phil Mickelson to his worst loss ever in this tournament where lowerseeds often beat favorites.
Equally impressive was Italy’s teen sensation, 17-year-old Matteo Manassero, who hit a 6-iron to 4 feet on the 17th hole andclosed out Charl Schwartzel of South Africa to advance.
Of the 16 players remaining, eight of them are younger than 30.
That includes Nick Watney, who steadied his emotions over the last three holes to knock out top-ranked Lee Westwood - the third consecutive year the No. 1 seed did not make it out of the second round. The highest seed remaining after two wild days is PGA champion Martin Kaymer, the 25-year-old who had to go 20 holes to beat Justin Rose.
Mickelson didn’t play his best, and it might not have mattered if he did.
Fowler seized control with a tough pitch to close range on the eighth, chipped in from off the green on the 10th, then made two eagles. He ended the match with a 4-iron from 232 yards that rolled so close to the flag that Mickelson conceded the eagle.
“He doesn’t really have a weakness,” Mickelson said. “He really is a complete player, and he put it together today. I just couldn’t keep pace. I think he’s going to do a lot for American golf.”
It hasn’t been a bad week for the Americans at this World Golf Championship. They have eight players in the round of 16, the most Americans in five years. The surprise is the list of players.
Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker and Jim Furyk were gone after the first round. Mickelson joined them on Thursday.
Leading the way is a new cast of emerging stars, from Fowler and Watney, to Hunter Mahan, who won three of the last five holes to rally against Robert Karlsson.
But this youth movement isn’t all about the Americans.
Manassero keeps setting age records wherever he goes - the youngest to win the British Amateur, the youngest to be low amateur at the British Open and the Masters, the youngest to win on the European Tour.
“It’s a big sense of achievement for me,” Manassero said.
He was in control for much of his match against Schwartzel until nearly giving it away. His tee shot on the 16th bounced off the corporate tents and into a cactus, and the Italian felt as though he might have moved the ball while trying to remove a loose branch. So he conceded the hole to Schwartzel and put it behind him quickly.
His 6-iron on the 17th set up birdie, and Manassero closed it out with a par on the 18th.
Jason Day may seem older than 23, but only because the Australian has been around the past five years and won on the PGA Tour last year. This is his debut in the Accenture Match Play Championship, and he already is showing some guile. He irritated Paul Casey by making him putt from short distance, and Casey missed his share.
Day never trailed in winning their match, 4 and 2.
One youngster who did not advance was 21-year-old Rory McIlroy, the No. 7 seed. He ran into Ben Crane, who played perhaps his quickest round ever - the match ended on the 11th hole, an 8-and-7 victory.
Crane has the reputation for slow play, although that wasn’t an issue.
“We played quick out there because he was making birdies,” McIlroy said.
U.S. Open championGraeme McDowell had no trouble with Ross Fisher in a 4-and-2 victory, which assured he will move ahead of Woods in the next world ranking.
PGA TOUR Toms shares lead
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - David Toms got off to a good start in a bid for his first PGA Tour victory in more than five years, shooting a 5-under 66 on Thursday for a share of the first-round lead in the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
The 44-year-old Toms, the 2001 PGA Championship winner, won the Sony Open in Hawaii in January 2006 for the last of his 12 PGA Tour victories.
Andres Gonzales, Mark Hensby and Kyle Stanley also opened with 66s in windy conditions on the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon course.
Defending champion Cameron Beckman was a stroke back along with Kent Jones, Briny Baird, Chris Tidland, Alexandre Rocha and Sunghoon Kang.
John Daly (Dardanelle, Arkansas Razorbacks) shot a first-round 73 while Tag Ridings (Razorbacks) had a 74.
LPGA TOUR Arimura leads
SINGAPORE - Japan’s Chie Arimura overcame strong winds to shoot a 4-under 68 and take a one stroke lead after the first round in the HSBC Women’s Champions at the Tanah Merah Country Club.
Korea’s Na Yeon Choi shot a 69, while world No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan finished the day in a group of four players at 70. American Natalie Gulbis finished with a 1-under 71 in a group of six players, while Michelle Wie was 1-over after three bogies and two birdies.
Stacy Lewis (Razorbacks) shot a 72, four strokes behind Arimura, while Stacy Prammanasudh (Conway) was 4-over 76.
NATIONWIDE Two shoot 64
PANAMA CITY, Panama - Rich Barcelo and Erik Compton posted 6-under-par 64s to share the first-round clubhouse lead in the raindelayed Panama Claro Championship.
Australia’s Gavin Coles is also at 6 under par but still has three holes to go at the Panama Golf Club.
Play was suspended for two hours starting at 1:50 p.m. because of a afternoon thunderstorm and kept 51 players from completing their rounds. First-round play will resume at 7 a.m. Central today, and second-round tee times will start at 7:50 a.m.
Scott Gardiner (Farmington) shot a 68, four shots behind Barcelo and Compton. Ron Whittaker (Little Rock) had a 4-over 74. Brenden Pappas (Razorbacks) and Ken Duke (Arkadelphia, Henderson State) did not complete the first round.
Thursday’s results At The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain Marana, Ariz.
Purse: $8.5 million Yardage: 7,791; Par 72 Second Round Seeds in Parentheses Graeme McDowell (5), Northern Ireland, def. Ross Fisher (37), England, 4 and 2. Y.E. Yang (44), South Korea, def. Stewart Cink (53), United States, 4 and 3.
Jason Day (38), Australia, def. Paul Casey (6), England, 4 and 2.
J.B. Holmes (22), United States, def. Ernie Els (11), South Africa, 1 up.
Matteo Manassero (57), Italy, def. Charl Swartzel (25), South Africa, 1 up.
Luke Donald (9), England, def. Edoardo Molinari (24), Italy, 2 and 1.
Ben Crane (39), United States, def. Rory McIlroy (7), Northern Ireland, 8 and 7.
Miguel Angel Jimenez (23), Spain, def. Ryan Palmer (55), United States, 4 and 2.
Rickie Fowler (29), United States, def. Phil Mickelson (4), United States, 6 and 5.
Matt Kuchar (13), United States, def. Bo Van Pelt (45), United States, 3 and 2.
Geoff Ogilvy (30), Australia, def. Thomas Bjorn (62), Denmark, 1 up.
Bubba Watson (19), United States, def. Mark Wilson (51), United States, 6 and 5.
Nick Watney (32), United States, def. Lee Westwood (1), England, 1 up.
Ryan Moore (48), United States, def. K.J. Choi (49), South Korea, 5 and 4.
Martin Kaymer (2), Germany, def. Justin Rose (34), England, 20 holes.
Hunter Mahan (18), United States, def. Robert Karlsson (15), Sweden, 2 up.
Sports, Pages 20 on 02/25/2011