WGC Game Play: Rory McIlroy extends competition with crucial win, Bob MacIntyre eliminated by late Dustin Johnson rally | Golf News

There is still plenty of hard work to come for Rory McIlroy as he kept his WGC Match Play chances alive with a win over Lanto Griffin, while world 1 at Dustin Johnson needed two late birders for Bob McIntyre to play. put off; watch live on Sky Sports Golf from 2.15pm on Friday

Rory McIlroy avoided the “destructive blows” and an early elimination from WGC-Dell Technologies as he enjoyed a 4 & 3 confidence over Lanto Griffin in Texas.

McIlroy put a turbulent week or two behind him to keep his hopes for a second Match Play title alive, although he needs help from Griffin on the final day of the group stages at Austin Country Club.

After losing the cut at the Players’ Championship, admitting that running extra speed trying to imitate Bryson DeChambeau had been “damaging my swing”, and then connecting with celebrity swing coach Pete Cowen, McIlroy had plenty on his mind when he arrived in Austin.

He claimed he played far better than the recommended 6 & 5 goal line when he won the opening day for Ian Poulter, who remains the preferred choice. for promotion from Group 11 after he caught Aussie Cameron Smith, although it opened for Griffin to open the door for McIlroy to reach the last 16.

McIlroy needed a quick start against Griffin to lift his spirits, and he delivered when he almost pitched his pitch to the first and won the hole with a birdie, and pars on the next two holes were enough for the Irishman to North to take three up after three.

The 2015 champion got into trouble with a bad second to sixth that led to a bogey-six, and Griffin gathered from 25 feet to win the seventh before McIlroy hit back at eighth, hitting another confident midfielder to four feet and turn for the win.

He didn’t do himself any favors with a three-putt bogey from the inside 30 feet on the ninth green, but McIlroy won three of the next four holes when Griffin struggled, and 4 wins. & 3 finished when McIlroy posted a par at the 15th.

“That was great,” McIlroy said. “Winning the game today definitely keeps me in the competition and gives me hope for tomorrow. It looks like Lanto has to do me a favor and beat Poults.

“I hit a destructive picture or two yesterday, but overall we both played well, and I didn’t feel the goal line matched how I felt. And then the same thing today.I played hard.Lanto didn’t have the best stuff, but I played hard and kept going and I grabbed good putts when he matured. “

McIlroy went through an extensive session on the practice field after defeating Poulter, and reiterated that he intended to do all the hard work necessary to restore the form and consistency. -search that brought him back to the top of the global rankings early last year.

“As everyone knows who played this game, it’s a very difficult game at times, and I feel it tests me a little more than it has. in the last few years, “he said.” I feel that the only way to get through it is to put your head down and work on the right things and the kind of trust that can be there to put in the hard process.

“And as my father always said, you get out of the things you put into it, and that’s the view that I kind of take with me to the course all There will be good days, there will be good days being a little bad, but I feel like I am on the right track.

“I doubt one session is going to pay that much, but I think it’s just a process, and it’s something I have to follow every day. and putting my faith and trust in the fact that what I feel is how I try to do the right thing and move on. “

Meanwhile, Poulter had a three-up lead to play against Cam Smith, who took the game at a distance with birdies at 16 and 17 before hitting his way to seven feet at the final, just for drilling a Ryder Cup legend from 15 feet to snatch a 1up grip.

While McIlroy reflected on his impact, rising star MacIntyre was on the verge of scaling a famous scalp two up by three to play against Dustin Johnson after meeting Group 1 turned around by three winners in a row around the turn.

But Johnson’s response deserved the No. 1 ranking in his world, drilling second to 10 feet at the 16th and tuning the putt for an eagle, and digging another winning putt from a longer range at the 17th short to bring them down to the last square. .

The pair shook the hole from 25 feet on the 18th green before shaking hands, with Johnson more relieved to avoid the issue as he looked forward to day three going against Kevin Na who was sent Already, while MacIntyre persuades Adam Long to know that he will win, the Scot and Johnson will force them to play for a last – 16 place.

“Dustin holed putts when he had to hole putts,” said MacIntyre, who made a good fist of sounding far from disobedient at the result. “He does that to win many majors. I’m young. I have plenty of time ahead of me. In fact, I was dying to win that game, and I was in such a good position to do it. .

“But he threw it all at me, and I can be proud to finish there square, but obviously inside I’m a little disappointed not to win. But once in a while let ‘s walk away from here and get in the car and drive back to the house., it’ s going to be, you know what, I can compete with the best people on the planet. “