Branden Grace beat Julian Suri on Thursday but now rests his hopes on the same player if he is to advance to the Dell Match Play playoffs, writes WADE PRETORIUS.
Grace defeated the last man into the event 2 & 1 on Thursday, playing within himself and rarely being tested.
Although Suri was 1 up through six, the South African played steady golf with four birdies after that to give himself an outside chance of advancing to the weekend’s play. Grace’s superb run started on the par-three 7th when he hit his tee shot to inside five feet and produced a similar effort on the next short hole, the 11th.
After holing that effort, he was 3 up and cruising to his first win of the week. Birdies at the 15th and 16th by Suri were matched by Grace, who must hope Suri can defeat Bubba Watson, the only player in the group who has two wins from two.
‘Today was important. I really needed to get the W today and try to put the point on the board. Anything can happen tomorrow,’ said Grace, who plays the group’s top seed, Presidents Cup ally and already eliminated Australian Marc Leishman.
Rory McIlroy joined Grace in the list of players that turned an opening round loss into a second-round victory. But the Northern Irishman is in a far better position, knowing that if he beats Brian Harman in the remaining game, he’s at least guaranteed a playoff. Harman edged Peter Uihlein to throw the group wide open.
McIlroy, the sixth-ranked player in the field, saw over Jhonattan Vegas 2 & 1.
The Arnold Palmer Invitational winner missed eight fairways but an upturn in fortunes with the putter allowed him to make three birdies in five holes to take control of the match.
A Vegas bogey at the 8th gave McIlroy the lead; last week’s winner then followed with a birdie from 13 feet to extend the advantage. A birdie at the par-four 13th from five feet put him 3 up and he held on from there.
McIlroy is now a bogey-free seven under between holes 12 and 16 through two rounds.
‘I shot three under for 17 holes today, so that was good,’ he said.
‘And Brian Harman did me a favour by beating Peter. It’s all to play for tomorrow.’
Photo: Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
