WGC Match Play: McIlroy’s monster drive sets up clutch victory in Austin, Scheffler, Rahm also win
- World No 3 hits stunning 375-yard blast to set up tap-in eagle on 18th for 2-up win over Denny McCarthy
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An amazing tee shot by Rory McIlroy led the world No 3 to join top-ranked defending champion Scottie Scheffler and second-ranked Jon Rahm in capturing clutch victories in the second group matches at the WGC Match Play Championship.
McIlroy made an epic drive with a stunning 375-yard blast at the 18th hole, landing the ball within four feet of the hole for a tap-in eagle that clinched a 2-up triumph over US 48th seed Denny McCarthy.
“It was good,” McIlroy said. “I didn’t think I could get it on the green.”
Scheffler and McIlroy remained unbeaten while Rahm bounced back from an opening loss at Austin Country Club, where 16 winners from four-man groups will advance to weekend knockout rounds.
Four-time major winner McIlroy, the 2015 Match Play champion from Northern Ireland, did not lead McCarthy until the par-5 16th hole, when McIlroy had a tap-in birdie and the American missed a seven-foot birdie putt to put McIlroy 1-up.
Then came McIlroy’s clinching tee shot, which was airborne for 349 yards, nearly 70 yards longer than the average PGA Tour carry, before rolling up to the cup for a tap-in.
