WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play: Day 1 match recaps

AUSTIN, Texas -- The first day of the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play is in the books. It was a good day for some favorites (Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Rory McIlroy, for instance), not-so-good for others (past champ Jason Day and defending champ Bubba Watson on the losing end). As for Tiger? The two-time champ's return to the tournament after a six-year absence started off on a winning note.

Recaps of each of the 32 matches Wednesday at Austin Country Club (tournament seeding is in parentheses):

MATCH PLAY: Scores | Group Standings | Bracket

Group 1

DUSTIN JOHNSON (1) def. CHEZ REAVIE (55), 4 and 3
It was an efficient day for the 2017 Match Play champ and world No. 1, who generally stayed out of trouble. Johnson was 1-up at the turn and won two of the next three holes to take command. Holes won: Johnson 7, Reavie 3. Holes led: Johnson 15, Reavie 0.
Said Johnson: "I felt like I played solid. I never gave him a hole, which is a big thing in match play. And had a lot of good looks at birdies. Hit some really good putts, that I couldn't believe didn't go in the hole."

BRANDEN GRACE (40) def. HIDEKI MATSUYAMA (24), 4 and 3
Two eagles by Grace at the par-5 sixth and 12th holes trumped two Matsuyama birdies, as the South African controlled the match after the turn. Holes won: Grace 6, Matsuyama 2. Holes led: Grace 13, Matsuyama 0.
Said Grace: "I think there was one slip with the short putter where I should have gone 3-up. But played really solid. It's one of those days where you almost have to play the man. It's windy, it's tricky."

Group 2

JUSTIN ROSE (2) def. EMILIANO GRILLO (53), 2 and 1
Consecutive bogeys by Grillo near the turn put Rose 3-up, and the reigning FedExCup champ was solid the rest of the way. Holes won: Rose 5, Grillo 3. Holes led: Rose 16, Grillo 0.
Said Rose: "Emiliano and I played solid golf. He just didn't make the putts when he needed to. That's kind of key in match play. I was just saying to the guys, I think 15 was the key hole, and I made a 12-foot putt for par, Emiliano three-putted it eventually. And looking like going back to 1 and I'm dormie 3. That was a real big turnaround."

GARY WOODLAND (22) def. EDDIE PEPPERELL (34), 2 and 1
Woodland, who opened by holing out from 87 yards for eagle at the first, found himself 1-down after a double bogey at the 11th. But he squared the match with a birdie at the par-5 12th, then stayed out of trouble as Pepperell bogeyed two of his last five holes. Holes won: Woodland 6, Pepperell 4. Holes led: Woodland 14, Pepperell 1.
Said Woodland: "I got off to a big start early, which was nice. I didn't play great. Neither one of us played our best. But that's the beauty of match play. Fortunately you don't catch somebody on a hot day when you're not playing your best."

Group 3

BROOKS KOEPKA (3) and TOM LEWIS (60), Halved
Lewis opened with two bogeys and Koepka led the entire front nine. Lewis rallied and was 1-up through 15, but Koepka won the next two holes, including a 4-foot birdie at the 17th. But Lewis gained the half-point after converted a 4-1/2 foot birdie putt at the last hole. Holes won: Koepka 4, Lewis 4. Holes led: Koepka 10, Lewis 2.
Said Lewis: "We weren't at our best. I handed him the first couple of holes. It's a bit frustrating but I'm pleased I made that birdie on the last hole."

HAOTONG LI (36) def. ALEX NOREN (27), 5 and 4
Li never trailed after winning the first two holes with a bogey and a concession, and then snuffed out any hopes of a late Noren comeback with a 31-foot eagle putt to win the 12th. Holes won: Li 8, Noren 3. Holes led; Li 14, Noren 0.
Said Li: "I rolled three birdies putts and one eagle, as well. It's been playing solid, and especially today had a few holes a little bit off and short game recovery very good. And my partner just didn't play his best today."

Group 4

RORY McILROY (4) def. LUKE LIST (64), 5 and 4
The recent winner of THE PLAYERS Championship opened with two birdies and closed the match with two more as he pulled away on the back nine. List’ only birdie came on the opening hole. Holes won: McIlroy 5, List 0. Holes led: McIlroy 13, List 0.
Said McIlroy: "I had to sort of play really well from the get-go. Luke holed a 20, 25-footer on the first for birdie and I had to follow him in. He hit a wedge shot into like 10 feet at the second, I had to follow that good shot. Even from the get-go I needed to respond a little bit to what he did, and I feel like I did that pretty well. So that gives me a bit of confidence going forward."

JUSTIN HARDING (47) def. MATTHEW FITZPATRICK (32), 1-up
Harding was 2-down through 15, but won the final three holes with a birdie and two pars. Harding’s 4-1/2 foot birdie putt at the 16th started the rally. Fitzpatrick then three-putted the 17th from 49 feet and couldn’t convert a par putt from 8 feet at the 18th that would’ve salvaged a half-point. Holes won: Harding 6, Fitzpatrick 5. Holes led: Harding 5. Fitzpatrick 4.
Said Harding: "I definitely feel as though I stole it. I, like Matty, didn't really get too much going. I battled with the club selection pretty much the entire day. I hung in there, missed a couple of putts I probably would otherwise like to have not missed. But I guess the up-and-down on 17 was quite special. I certainly didn't see that one coming."

Group 5

LUCAS BJERREGAARD (50) def. JUSTIN THOMAS (5), 3 and 2
Bjerregaard suffered double bogeys at the 3rd and 15th holes, but in between, he played a bogey-free 5 under to surprise Thomas. Bjerregaard won the 12th and 13th holes to go 4-up as he made nearly 112 feet of putts. Thomas’ only birdie came on the opening hole. Holes won: Bjerregaard 6, Thomas 3. Holes led: Bjerregaard 10, Thomas 5.
Said Bjerregaard: "I didn't give too much away. And then made a couple of good putts where JT had hit it closer than me and he missed those. So there was a couple of match play moments in there that were pretty key for me there."
Watch: Bjerregaard's 26-foot birdie putt | ... and 27-footer

MATT WALLACE (33) def. KEEGAN BRADLEY (31), 1-up
The match was tied through 10 holes, then Wallace took the lead for good after his tee shot at the 11th finished 5-1/2 feet away. Bradley extended the match with a birdie at the 17th but couldn’t hole his 18-1/2 footer that would’ve need a half-point. Holes won: Wallace 7, Bradley 6. Holes led: Wallace 12, Bradley 1.

Group 6

BRYSON DeCHAMBEAU (6) def. RUSSELL KNOX (59), 3 and 1
Knox was 1-up at the turn, but consecutive DeChambeau birdies to start the back nine gave him a lead he would never relinquish. A DeChambeau up-and-down birdie at the par-5 16th was followed by a Knox concession at the 17th to end the match. Holes won: DeChambeau 5, Knox 2. Holes led: DeChambeau 7, Knox 2.
Said DeChambeau: "I knew there were a lot of wedge opportunities on the back. I knew if I could really hone into that and hopefully hit some close. I didn't hit too many close, but hit it when I needed to close, and was able to flip it really on 10 and 11, where I trusted my iron play and made a great putt on 10."
Watch: DeChambeau's remarkable par | DeChambeau's near-ace

MARC LEISHMAN (17) def. KIRADECH APHIBARNRAT (39), 2-up
Leishman never trailed but Aphibarnrat hung tough. Leishman was 2-up through 16, but Aphibarnrat won the 17th with an 8-foot birdie putt. Leishman closed it out after his approach at 18 finished 3 feet away. Holes won: Leishman 6, Aphibarnrat 4. Holes led: Leishman 11, Aphibarnrat 0.

Group 7

FRANCESCO MOLINARI (7) def. SATOSHI KODAIRA (63), 5 and 4
Birdies on his opening two holes set the tone as Molinari led the entire way. Kodaira was 2-down through eight, then Molinari won the next three holes – the last two with birdie putts from 16 and 23 feet. Holes won: Molinari 8, Kodaira 3. Holes led: Molinari 14, Kodaira 0.
Said Molinari: "I played really well. Made some nice putts at the beginning and throughout the match."

THORBJORN OLESEN (45) def. WEBB SIMPSON (21), 2 and 1
With the match tied through 14 holes, each player had a birdie putt from 15 feet at the 15th. Olesen made his; Simpson didn’t. After matching birdies at the 16th, Olesen closed it out with par at the 17th. Holes won: Olesen 6, Simpson 4. Holes led: Olesen 11, Simpson 0.
Said Olesen: "I got 3-up with some great shots and made a few good birdies. And Webb started making birdies and came strong back and I felt like I played well. I obviously got a bit lucky on the last."

Group 8

JON RAHM (8) def. SI WOO KIM (54), 7 and 5
Rahm, a finalist here in 2017, rolled to the decisive win with a bogey-free round that included four birdies. Kim lost the second hole with a bogey and gradually faded after that. Rahm stayed out of trouble, missing just two fairways. Holes won: Rahm 7, Kim 0. Holes led: Rahm 12, Kim 0.
Said Rahm: "I played really solid. There's not many shots out there that I can say I missed really at all. Really well across the board. No bogeys out here. 4-under if you count, in 13 holes, that's a good score at the end of the day."

MATT KUCHAR (23) def. J.B. HOLMES (43), 3 and 1
With the match tied through 14 holes, Kuchar won the final three holes with a birdie at 15 (7 feet), a par at 16 (thanks to an errant Holmes tee shot), and a birdie at the 17th (from 13 feet). Holes won: Kuchar 5, Holmes 2. Holes led: Kuchar 9, Holmes 4.
Said Kuchar: "I was 1-up and lost the 12th hole, made a mess of things. My caddie, John Wood, tried to get me to play smart and I unfortunately did not and made a mess and gave the hole away. And all of a sudden what a difference from 1-up to even. And I felt like I was barely in control of the match. And then dropping to even I'm sweating things. Nice to get a birdie and then close out the hole."

Group 9

XANDER SCHAUFFELE (9) def. LEE WESTWOOD (62), 1-up
After leading for most of the front nine, Schauffele find himself 2-down through 12. He squared the match with a birdie at the 13th and par at the 15th, then won it on the closing hole after his approach finished 2 feet away. Westwood missed his birdie putt from 10-1/2 feet. Holes won: Schauffele 6, Westwood 5. Holes led: Schauffele 8, Westwood 5.

TYRRELL HATTON (35) def. RAFA CABRERA BELLO (29), 4 and 3
A hole-out for eagle from 37 yards at the fifth highlighted Hatton’s win, as he was 2-up at the turn and parred out from there. Cabrera Bello had just one birdie, and lost two holes on the back with a double bogey (at 11) and a bogey (at 14). Holes won: Hatton 5, Cabrera Bello 1. Holes led: Hatton 15, Cabrera Bello 0.
Said Hatton: "Very happy with that performance today. Always going to be a really tough match against Rafa. He's a fantastic player. He has a very good match play record. He beat me here a couple of years ago, so it was nice to get a little bit of revenge today."

Group 10

PAUL CASEY (10) def. ABRAHAM ANCER (58), 5 and 3
A birdie at the par-5 sixth and Ancer’s bogey at the seventh gave Casey the lead and seemed to turn the momentum. Casey, last week’s Valspar Championship winner, conceded the second hole after a poor tee shot but was a bogey-free 5 under after that. Holes won: Casey 7, Ancer 2. Holes led: Casey 9, Ancer 3.
Said Casey: "It's one of the best rounds I've ever played around here. You just try to manage the energy after last week. That was pretty tiring, but good tiring."

CHARLES HOWELL III (42) def. CAMERON SMITH (25), 2 and 1
Smith was 2-up through 12 until Howell won four straight holes to flip the match. Smith found the water with his tee shots to lose the 13th and 14th holes, then Howell rolled in two birdie putts from outside 15 feet on the next two holes to grab control. Holes won: Howell 6, Smith 4. Holes led: Howell 3, Smith 11.
Said Howell: "I think it took both of us a little bit to kind of get the feel of how that was. The greens were a bit quicker and firmer today than practice days."

Group 11

TOMMY FLEETWOOD (11) def. BYEONG HUN AN (49), 3 and 2
With the match tied through 10 holes, Fleetwood birdied his next three holes to take command, then closed out the match by holing a 19-foot birdie putt at the 16th. Holes won: Fleetwood 6, An 3. Holes led: Fleetwood 7, An 5.
Said Fleetwood: "8 was a good turning point. That had a lot of momentum. It's really quick on the green. He three-putted and I two-putted. He missed a putt on 9 really. I got away with one on 9 and it turned in my favor."
Watch: Fleetwood's winning birdie

KYLE STANLEY (41) def. LOUIS OOSTHUIZEN (19), 3 and 2
Oosthuizen self-destructed on the back nine with four bogeys while Stanley ended the match with nine consecutive pars. Oosthuizen three-putted the 16th to lose the closing hole. Holes won: Stanley 6, Oosthuizen 3. Holes led: Stanley 9, Oosthuizen 0.
Said Stanley: "I won a couple of holes on the back nine with pars. He got out of position a couple of times. But for the most part I thought both of us played pretty well on the front."
Watch: Stanley sticks approach

Group 12

JIM FURYK (52) def. JASON DAY (12), 2-up
Furyk found himself 3-down through 8 but tied the match with three consecutive birdies. An exchange of birdies tied the match again after 16, but Day three-putted the 17 and Furyk birdied the 18th with an 11-footer to defeat the two-time Match Play champ. Holes won: Furyk 8, Day 6. Holes led: Furyk 3, Day 10.
Said Furyk: "I'm standing on the 9th tee 3-down and kind of trying to figure out what happened, to be honest with you. I guess my goal from there on out was just to play solid golf, try to make him earn every one hole."

HENRIK STENSON (37) def. PHIL MICKELSON (20), 2 and 1
Stenson led the entire way, making three birdies against two bogeys for his 17 holes. Mickelson was just 1-down after 16 but his errant tee shot bounced off the rocks and conceded the par-3 17th and the match. Holes won: Stenson 5, Mickelson 3. Holes led: Stenson 17, Mickelson 0.
Said Stenson: "You could say it wasn't maybe the most well-played match from either one of us, but still some good golf in there. I was pretty happy with my performance today. I hit some really nice iron shots and made a couple of important putts, as well. Kept it going. Phil is always worth the price of admission. He hit some fabulous short-game shots on three or four holes."

Group 13

TIGER WOODS (13) def. AARON WISE (61), 3 and 1
Woods failed to win a single hole with any of his four birdies, but he won six holes with pars and one hole with a bogey in a messy, roller-coaster day for both players. Woods made four birdies and four bogeys, while Wise had just three pars in the 17 holes played, with six birdies, seven bogeys and a double. Holes won: Woods 7, Wise 4. Holes led: Woods 13, Wise 1.
Said Woods: "Considering neither one of us really played that great today. It was a pretty emotional match because we were up and down, up and down. There weren't a lot of holes halved. And I was just kind of hanging in there. I was up early and then all of a sudden I'm down. And it looked like I was going to go 2-down and all of a sudden it's all square. Then I am flipping it up, then I throw away one with a three-putt. It was one of those matches where we weren't playing our best. And on a golf course like this, it exposed us a little bit."

PATRICK CANTLAY (18) AND BRANDT SNEDEKER (44), halved
Cantlay rallied from 3-down after 11 holes to climb back into the match, but Snedeker forced the half-point when he nearly holed his approach at the par-4 18th. Cantlay’s back-nine rally was fueled by a eagle hole-out from just off the green at the 13th. Snedeker then suffered consecutive bogeys to give up the lead before his final-hole heroics. Holes won: Cantlay 5, Snedeker 5. Holes led: Cantlay 4, Snedeker 12.

Group 14

TONY FINAU (14) def. KEITH MITCHELL (56), 2 and 1
A well-played match at the start (the two combined for seven birdies in the first six holes) and down the stretch (a combined five birdies in the last six holes) turned Finau’s way with two late birdies. Holes won: Finau 5, Mitchell 3. Holes led: Finau 7, Mitchell 1.
Said Finau: "14 was the match, to be honest. I made about a 15-footer for par just to tie the hole and not go 1-down with four to go. To me those little putts, those are the momentum-changing putts you have to make, to beat tough players. ... It was a hell of a match. My heart rate is a little too high for Wednesday, I'm not used to it being that high."

IAN POULTER (30) def. KEVIN KISNER (48), 2-up
Poulter gained revenge for a lopsided loss last year to Kisner with a bogey-free round that included six birdies. The match was tied after Kisner holed out for eagle from 58 yards at the 16th, but Poulter responded by winning the final two holes with birdies putts from 10 and 12 feet. Holes won: Poulter 6. Kisner 4. Holes led: Poulter 10, Kisner 2.
Said Poulter: "Obviously he holes out from 70 yards, he goes square, and it's really match on from a position where I kind of had control of it. And big putt there at 17 to leave myself just under the hole to give myself a right-to-left putt was a good one. I holed it, and obviously up and down from the last."

Group 15

KEVIN NA (57) def. BUBBA WATSON (15) 1-up
Na knocked off the defending Match Play champ by winning the par-4 361-yard 18th. Na’s 238-yard tee shot found the fairway, while Watson’s drive of 347 yards landed in the greenside bunker. Watson struggled to escape and eventually conceded the hole and the match with Na staring at a birdie putt from inside 10 feet. Holes won: Na 5, Watson 4. Holes led: Na 3, Watson 9.
Said Na: "I felt like I was playing solid and I made a mistake on 7 and put it in the water. But then it was a great recovery making par, and Bubba had a tough two-putt, so I halved the hole. And I felt like I basically picked one up, even though I only halved the hole. I think that kind of changed the momentum."

JORDAN SPIETH (28) and BILLY HORSCHEL (38), halved
Despite never having the lead, Spieth rallied from 2-down after 15 to gain a half-point. Horschel bogeyed the 16th after three-putting from 14-1/2 feet. After each birdied the 17th from inside 10 feet, Spieth won the closing hole with a birdie from 3 feet after Horschel’s errant drive resulted in a penalty stroke. Holes won: Spieth 6, Horschel 6. Holes led: Spieth 0, Horschel 13.
Said Spieth: "He was making a lot of really long putts through the early part of that front nine. And luckily I had holes to go after that. And we did a good job of not letting that bother me. If he's going to shoot 7 or 8 under, I'm going to try to shoot 6 and make progress in that form. So once I kind of tied the matchup through 9, it was go time. I had some momentum. And it was really nice, 2 down with 3 to go, to salvage a tie. Felt like a win for sure."

Group 16

ANDREW PUTNAM (51) def. PATRICK REED (16), 3 and 2
Putnam was 2-up after a two-putt birdie at the 12th in which Reed found the water. From there, Reed had no response, as he bogeyed the 14th while Putnam strung together pars on his last four holes to close it out. Holes won: Putnam 5, Reed 2. Holes led: Putnam 14, Reed 0.
Said Putnam: "I pretty much expected him to make everything coming in and I feel like that's the mentality in match play, you always have to expect your player to do well. And especially Patrick, he's killed it on the Ryder Cup and I've watched him on TV plenty. Fun to come out here and play a good round of golf."

SERGIO GARCIA (26) def. SHANE LOWRY (46), 4 and 2
Garcia opened with a winning birdie at the first and never trailed as he played bogey-free golf while hitting 12 of 16 greens. Lowry lost three consecutive holes around the turn with two bogeys and a concession, leaving Garcia at 5 up and cruising to victory. Holes won: Garcia 6, Lowry 2. Holes led: Garcia 16, Lowry 0.
Said Garcia: "Shane put a good fight starting on 11. We both had good birdie chances there. I had a great chance to go 6-up. And then I missed a couple good opportunities and he made a couple nice birdies. But I just stayed patient. I knew I was playing well."