Watch | Sergio Garcia hole-in-one sinks Lee Westwood as 2 SA stars make Match Play last 16

Sergio Garcia aced the par-3 fourth hole to beat Lee Westwood in a playoff on Friday and reach the WGC Match Play Championship knockout rounds while top-ranked Dustin Johnson departed.

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Sergio Garcia hit a 9-iron at the 160-yard fourth and the 39th-seeded Spaniard, who sank a testy eight-foot par putt at the third to stay in the playoff, never even saw it roll back into the cup to defeat the English 18th seed at Austin (Texas) Country Club.

“Hole-in-one is amazing. It was a great shot,” Sergio Garcia said.

“Hit a great 9-iron. With the glare I couldn’t see. I saw it bounced past the hole. When we heard the people go crazy, we knew it was in. That was a nice way to finish it.”

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Westwood had beaten English eighth seed Tyrrell Hatton 4&3 to reach the playoff after Garcia lost 3&2 to English 51st seed Matt Wallace.

“Well, 28 years on tour and I thought I’d seen everything. I hadn’t!” Westwood tweeted after the playoff, one of eight tie-breakers needed to decide groups.

Sealed with an ACE. @TheSergioGarcia is through to the Round of 16 with a HOLE-IN-ONE on the 4th. pic.twitter.com/5sGyh2U3fY

— WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play (@DellMatchPlay) March 26, 2021

Garcia was among 16 who advanced to Saturday’s first knockout matches, where he will face Canadian 48th seed Mackenzie Hughes, who advanced by halving with US 59th seed Talor Gooch.

Three of the bottom five seeds reached the weekend but the only top-16 player to advance was Spanish third seed Jon Rahm, who sank a 10-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to beat US 24th seed Ryan Palmer.

“It was not easy. He was the one playing the better golf,” said Rahm.

“The whole day felt like a playoff, but I hit a good shot on two and made the putt.”

Top-ranked Masters champion Johnson was eliminated with a 1-up loss to US 28th seed Kevin Na, who won three of the last four holes with birdies.

Na called Johnson back to the par-3 11th to complain the No. 1 picked up before Na had conceded a six-inch putt, increasing tensions. They halved the hole and no penalty was called but Johnson went into the water at 12 on the way to defeat.

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Na said.

“We all know he can make a six inch putt.”

Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre drove the 18th green from 371 yards to within three feet of the cup and the 41st seed rolled in a birdie putt to halve with US 61st seed Adam Long and advance to the knockout stage.

“I had probably one of the best and one of the luckiest golf shots I’ve hit in my life,” MacIntyre said.

“It just shows anything can happen in this game.”

Next for MacIntyre is French 31st seed Victor Perez, who beat South Korean 16th seed Im Sung-jae 2&1 and advanced when Australia’s Marc Leishman and American Russell Henley halved.

Unbeaten English 60th seed Ian Poulter, a European Ryder Cup legend and WGC and World Match Play winner, beat US 46th seed Lanto Griffin 2&1

“My game feels really good at the minute,” Poulter said.

“I feel very comfortable. I wouldn’t say it’s the best I’ve felt but I feel pretty good.”

He booked a knockout match with US 30th seed Scottie Scheffler, whose 13-foot birdie on the second playoff hole ousted US sixth seed Xander Schauffele.

English 21st seed Tommy Fleetwood, 4-up after seven holes, sank a 14-foot birdie putt to halve the par-5 16th and held on to edge US fifth seed Bryson DeChambeau 1 up, advancing with two wins and a draw.

“It turned scrappy for a lot of the back nine,” Fleetwood said.

“Match play is that funny old week. Guys who are playing better than me are going home.”

He’ll face South African Dylan Frittelli, who lives nearby and became the first 64th seed to advance despite losing 2 up to US 40th seed Will Zalatoris.

“Just a lot of confidence,” Frittelli said.

“I knew I wasn’t a true 64th seed. Home course knowledge means a lot here.”

US 52nd seed Matt Kuchar beat 2019 winner Kevin Kisner, the US 34th seed, 2&1 to book a knockout match against US 49th seed Jordan Spieth.

Also meeting on Saturday will be US 55th seed Bubba Watson, a two-time Masters winner, and US 54th seed Brian Harman.

Results from Friday’s third and final day of group matches at the WGC Match Play Championship at Austin Country Club (x denotes seed):

Group 1

Kevin Na (USA x28) bt Dustin Johnson (USA x1) 1 up

Robert MacIntyre (SCO x41) and Adam Long (USA x61) halved

Group 2

Justin Thomas (USA x2) bt Louis Oosthuizen (RSA x22) 3&2

Matt Kuchar (USA x52) bt Kevin Kisner (USA x34) 2&1

Group 3

Shane Lowry (IRL x38) bt Sebastian Munoz (COL x56) 3&2

Ryan Palmer (USA x24) and Jon Rahm (ESP x3) halved

Playoff: Rahm beats Palmer with birdie on second extra hole

Group 4

Billy Horschel (USA x32) bt Collin Morikawa (USA x4) 3&2

Max Homa (USA x35) bt J.T. Poston (USA x63) 3&2

Playoff: Horschel beat Homa with birdie on third extra hole

Group 5

Tommy Fleetwood (ENG x21) bt Bryson DeChambeau (USA x5) 1 up

Antoine Rozner (FRA x58) bt Kim Si-woo (KOR x45) 3&1

Group 6

Jason Day (AUS x44) bt Andy Sullivan (ENG x57) 2&1

Xander Schauffele (USA x6) and Scottie Scheffler (USA x30) halved

Playoff: Scheffler beat Schauffele with birdie on second extra hole

Group 7

Joaquin Niemann (CHI x26) bt Patrick Reed (USA x7) 5&4

Bubba Watson (USA x55) bt Christiaan Bezuidenhout (RSA x33) 5&3

Playoff: Watson beats Niemann with par on second extra hole

Group 8

Lee Westwood (ENG x18) bt Tyrrell Hatton (ENG x8) 4&3

Matt Wallace (ENG x51) bt Sergio Garcia (ESP x39) 3&2

Playoff: Garcia beat Westwood with ace on fourth playoff hole

Group 9

Mackenzie Hughes (CAN x48) and Talor Gooch (USA x59) halved

Webb Simpson (USA x9) and Paul Casey (ENG x17) halved

Group 10

Hideki Matsuyama (JPN x23) bt Patrick Cantlay (USA x10) 4&2

Brian Harman (USA x54) bt Carlos Ortiz (MEX x42) 3&2

Playoff: Harman beats Cantlay with par on second extra hole

Group 11

Ian Poulter (ENG x60) bt Lanto Griffin (USA x46) 2&1

Rory McIlroy (NIR x11) and Cameron Smith (AUS x25) halved

Group 12

Tony Finau (USA x12) bt Jason Kokrak (USA x29) 2 up

Will Zalatoris (USA x40) bt Dylan Frittelli (RSA x64) 2 up

Group 13

Viktor Hovland (NOR x13) bt Abraham Ancer (MEX x27) 1 up

Kevin Streelman (USA x53) bt Bernd Wiesberger (AUT x43) 1 up

Playoff: Streelman beat Ancer with birdie on first extra hole

Group 14

Daniel Berger (USA x14) bt Harris English (USA x19) 4&2

Erik van Rooyen (RSA x62) bt Brendon Todd (USA x47) 2&1

Playoff: Van Rooyen beats Berger with par on second extra hole

Group 15

Matthew Fitzpatrick (ENG x15) bt Matthew Wolff (USA x20) 3&2

Jordan Spieth (USA x49) bt Corey Conners (CAN x37) 3&2

Group 16

Victor Perez (FRA x31) bt Im Sung-jae (KOR x16) 2&1

Marc Leishman (AUS x36) and Russell Henley (USA x50) halved

Saturday’s knockout pairings:

Tommy Fleetwood (ENG x21) v Dylan Frittelli (RSA x64)

Kevin Streelman (USA x53) v Billy Horschel (USA x32)

Sergio Garcia (ESP x39) v Mackenzie Hughes (CAN x48)

Victor Perez (FRA x31) v Robert MacIntyre (SCO x41)

Ian Poulter (ENG x60) v Scottie Scheffler (USA x30)

Jon Rahm (ESP x3) v Erik van Rooyen (RSA x62)

Bubba Watson (USA x55) v Brian Harman (USA x54)

Jordan Spieth (USA x49) v Matt Kuchar (USA x52)