MARANA, Ariz. — J.B. Holmes and Bubba Watson are in the quarterfinals of the Match Play Championship, and it’s not hard to figure out how they got there.
Holmes has five of the longest drives this week at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club,including a 400-yard shot in the opening round. He wasn’t always straight, but he was long enough off the tee to keep himself in the match and win the last two holes against Jason Day on Friday to advance.
Watson didn’t win his match against Geoff Ogilvy on the par-5 11th hole, but it sure felt that way. Already 2 up, Watson was 290 yards from the hole when he hit a 3-iron with a tight draw that bounded onto the green and settled 15 feet away.
“I knew if I hit a bullet 3-iron, it could roll up close,” Watson said. “We were just thinking about getting it on the green. We were thinking about missing it left, so we’d have an easy chip up on the slope. I knew it was good. I saw where it was running and it worked out in my favor again. I swung as hard as I could at a low, bullet 3-iron.”
Three holes later, the match was over, 6-and-4.
“It’s never fun to lose,” said Ogilvy, a two-time champion of this event. “But it’s the first time I’ve played OK and lost. He played well. He hit great shots. I didn’t play that bad. I didn’t play ‘6-and-4’ bad.”
That sets up more fireworks for this morning - Holmes vs. Watson, two of the longest hitters on the PGA Tour, head-to-head on a course nearly 7,800 yards long with wind expected to top 20 mph.
“It should be fun,” Holmes said. “Me and Bubba move it out there pretty good.”
Their explosive play shifted the focus from youth to power in the third round, as many of the young stars got sent home - 17-year-old Matteo Manassero, 22-yearold Rickie Fowler and the 23-year-old Day all lost their matches.
The youngest player still around also is one of the best - Martin Kaymer, the highest seed left at No. 2. He can move up to No. 1 in the world if he wins two matches to reach the championship match.
“If I can get up one more spot in the world rankings, of course I wouldn’t mind it,” Kaymer said. “But I think I’ll have a chance the next few weeks, months, as well.”
In other matches, Matt Kuchar won three consecutive holes to start the back nine as Fowler hit into the desert, and while the youngster tried to rally, Kuchar closed him out on the 17th hole.
Luke Donald never trailed in beating Manassero, although the Italian teen pushed him to the 16th hole.
Ryan Moore holed a 10-foot birdie putt on the 19th hole to defeat Nick Watney, who had birdied the last two holes to extend the match. Watney had nine birdies in 19 holes and lost, while Kuchar made only three birdies in 17 holes to beat Fowler. Moore is the lowest seed still alive at No. 48. Y.E. Yang continued his surprising run by beating McDowell, winning the last three holes with birdies, including a chip-in from behind the 16th green for a 3-and-2 victory.
PGA TOUR
Stroud shoots 63
PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - Chris Stroud made eight consecutive birdies - one off the PGA Tour record - and shot an 8-under par 63 on Friday to take a threestroke lead after the second round of the Mayakoba Golf Classic.
Winless in five seasons on the PGA Tour, the 29-year-old Stroud started the birdie run on No. 9. Mark Calcavecchia set the record of nine consecutive birdies in the second round of the 2009 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey.
Stroud had an 11-under 131 total on the Greg Norman-designed El Camaleon coursesouth of Cancun on the Caribbean coast. Kevin Stadler (66), Cameron Percy (66) and Sunghoon Kang (67) were tied for second.
Tag Ridings (Arkansas Razorbacks) and John Daly (Dardanelle, Razorbacks) each missed the cut. Ridings shot a 71, while Daly had a 75.
LPGA TOUR
Arimura leads
SINGAP ORE - Chie Arimura of Japan shot a 6-under par 66 to widen her lead to two strokes over Karrie Webb in the second round of the HSBC Women’s Champions on Friday.
Arimura, ranked 19th in the world, made six birdies and an eagle and overcame bogeys on two of her first three holes to post a 10-under 134 total.
Webb also shot 66 with an eagle on the par-5 ninth.
Sun Young Yoo of South Korea was four shots back, while countrywoman Na Yeon Choi and England’s Karen Stupples were at 4 under, six shots behind Arimura.
American Cristie Kerr shot 67 to jump to 3 under for the tournament, and countrywoman Michelle Wie was 1 under after a 71.
World No. 1 Yani Tseng of Taiwan, who came to Singapore having won tournaments in each of the past three weeks, scored 72 to put her at 2 under.
Stacy Lewis (Razorbacks) shot a 72 to finish even at 144. Stacy Prammanasudh (Conway) was 1-under 71 Friday and finished at 3-over 147.
NATIONWIDE
Play suspended
PANAMA CITY, Panama - Play was suspended Friday at the Panama CLARO Championship at the Golf Club of Panama with 66 golfers unable to complete the second round.
Kyle Reifers shot a 66 Friday to take a two-stroke lead over Kyle Thompson, who had a 65. Reifer had a 9-under 131 when play was suspended.
Ron Whittaker (Little Rock) shot a 65 and finished 1-under 139. Brenden Pappas (Razorbacks) had a 67 and Scott Gardiner a 72 to finish even at 140. Ken Duke (Henderson State) shot a 72 and is 5-over 145.
Match Play Friday’s results At The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain Marana, Ariz.
Purse: $8.5 million Par 72, 7,791 yards Third round Seeds in parentheses Matt Kuchar (13), United States, def. Rickie Fowler (29), United States, 2 and 1.
Y.E. Yang (44), South Korea, def. Graeme McDowell (5), Northern Ireland, 3 and 2.
Bubba Watson (19), United States, def.
Geoff Ogilvy (30), Australia, 6 and 4.
J.B. Holmes (22), United States, def.
Jason Day (38), Australia, 1 up.
Ryan Moore (48), United States, def. Nick Watney (32), United States, 19 holes.
Luke Donald (9), England, def. Matteo Manassero (57), Italy, 3 and 2.
Martin Kaymer (2), Germany, def. Hunter Mahan (18), United States, 2 and 1.
Miguel Angel Jimenez (23), Spain, def.
Ben Crane (39), United States, 7 and 6.
- Complete scores, Page 7C
Sports, Pages 22 on 02/26/2011