Tune in at 2:00 PM ET for coverage of the WGC-Accenture Match Play. Gino Bottero will be liveblogging for your enjoyment.
Welcome everyone! I'll be live blogging Day Four of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.
The event is being played at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain in Marana, Arizona for the fifth consecutive year.
Par: 72 | Yardage: 7791
Since 1999, the World Golf Championships series has generated more than $38 million for charities across the globe.
Purse: $8,750,000
Winning Share: $1,500,000
FedExCup Points: 550
Past Champions:
2012: Hunter Mahan
2011: Luke Donald
2010: Ian Poulter
2009: Geoff Ogilvy
2008: Tiger Woods
Day 1 Recap: Play was stopped at 1:07 PM ET, 11:07 AM MT due to snow as four inches were dumped on the course before the day was done. Sergio Garcia and Thongchai Jaidee were furthest along as they were on 16 when the horn sounded. Jason Day had the largest lead when play stopped on Wednesday. He led Zach Johnson 6-up through 10 holes. None of the No. 1 seeds made it out on the course before play was halted.
Day 2 Recap: Six delays in the morning in a span of four and a half hours pushed the start of play back to 3:00 PM ET, 1:00 PM MT. When play did get underway there was no shortage of upsets, as 14 of 30 lower seeded players were victorious in the matches that were completed on Thursday, with an additional upset on Friday morning, meaning 15 of 32 lower seeded players advanced to the second round. Among the casualties were top seeds Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, No. 2 seeds Adam Scott and Lee Westwood, No. 3 seeds Charl Schwartzel and Jason Dufner, and No. 4 seeds Keegan Bradley and Dustin Johnson.
Day 3 Recap: The Round of 32 saw the remaining No. 1 seeds, Luke Donald and Louis Oosthuizen, get sent packing, only the third time in 15 years that each of the four top seeds was eliminated by the conclusion of Round Two in this tournament. Scott Piercy played the first 12 holes at 7-under to hand Donald a 7 & 6 defeat. No one recorded more birdies through two rounds than Robert Garrigus. He played 16 holes at 6-under to defeat Louis Oosthuizen, 3 & 2. The only player in the top-10 of the world rankings to advance to the third round was Bubba Watson, who survived a 22-hole marathon with Jim Furyk. A day after defeating No. 1 overall seed Rory McIlroy, 64th-seeded Shane Lowry dispatched of Carl Pettersson, 6 & 5, making him the first No. 64 seed to advance to the third round at this event.
The players awoke to frost on the course this morning, delaying play for 45 minutes. Conditions have improved since. The temperature could reach as high as 63 today before falling back to the high 50s on Sunday.
The plan is to play the entirety of the third and fourth rounds today, which would get the tournament back on schedule for a Sunday finish.
The most recent result to come through came a moment ago when Bubba Watson conceded to Jason Day.
(11) Jason Day defeated (2) Bubba Watson, 4 & 3.
The other results from the Round of 16:
(9) Robert Garrigus defeated (12) Fredrik Jacobson, 3 & 1
(6) Matt Kuchar defeated (10) Nicolas Colsaerts, 4 & 3
(3) Ian Poulter defeated (15) Tim Clark, 5 & 3
(6) Hunter Mahan defeated (7) Martin Kaymer, 5 & 4
Another result comes in as Graeme McDowell just defeated Shane Lowry, 3 & 2.
Two matches still on the course, and Webb Simpson has a long look for birdie to win his match with Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano. Let's pick up play there.
Par 4 7th: This is the 16th hole for these players. Simpson is 2-up on Fernandez-Castano. A long birdie look for Simpson to win the match but his putt slid left. Fernandez-Castano with a four foot look for par to extend the match and he rolled it in to send the match to their 17th hole.
Steve Stricker and Scott Piercy are on the 9th, which is their 18th hole, with the match all square.
Par 4 9th: Par 4 9th: Scott Piercy with a very long look for birdie. He didn't read the break as well as he could have and has some work to do for par. Steve Stricker with a long birdie look to win the match. Plenty of left-to-right break on his putt and he's aiming well off to the left, then bent his putt just inside the right side of the cup to win the match. What a clutch putt!
(4) Steve Stricker defeated (9) Scott Piercy, 1-up
And Stricker does that on his 46th birthday!
Stricker will advance to play Ian Poulter to decide the winner of the Sam Snead bracket.
A dagger 40-footer from Steve Stricker to win the match on his 46th birthday. You can't make this stuff up.
The last match on the course is Simpson v. Fernandez-Castano, and Simpson is about to make his second from the 8th fairway.
Par 5 8th: Webb Simpson's approach came up short and to the left of the green. He won't have much green to work with from there.
Par 5 8th: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano layed up on his second. His third comes from 99 yards out and he just cleared the front of the green. Not an easy birdie putt from there. Webb Simpson tries to climb up onto the green with his third but he didn't quite get there and the ball rolls down the slope of the green and right to his feet. His next nearly holes out but rolls well past the hole, leaving him a long look for par.
Par 5 8th: Webb Simpson couldn't make his long par attempt and tells Fernandez-Castano to pick his ball up. They'll head to the 9th to play their final hole.
Let's look at the matches we'll be seeing later today.
Bobby Jones Bracket:
(5) Graeme McDowell v. (11) Jason Day
Gary Player Bracket:
(6) Hunter Mahan v. (4) Webb Simpson / (8) Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano
Sam Snead Bracket:
(3) Ian Poulter v. (4) Steve Stricker
Ben Hogan Bracket:
(6) Matt Kuchar v. (9) Robert Garrigus
476 yard Par 4 9th: Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano rides the left side of the fairway with his tee shot. Webb Simpson finds nearly the exact same spot with his drive.
The Matt Kuchar v. Robert Garrigus match is the first to tee off to begin Round 4. Kuchar is on the green with his second shot.
Par 4 9th: Webb Simpson with 199 yards remaining on his approach shot. His shot missed just a hair to the left of the green but took a very favourable kick back to the center of the green. Fernandez-Castano knows he needs to make birdie. 185 yards remaining and he ends up in the back-left corner of the green, well outside of Simpson's ball.
Par 4 1st: Matt Kuchar with a chance to two-putt to win the 1st. He gets close and Garrigus concedes his putt. Kuchar with the first lead of Round 4.
What a putt Steve Stricker!! Happy birthday!!by jamesbecker74 via twitter 2/23/2013 7:10:56 PM
Get up Stricker #SweetPuttby If_DaBoot_FITZ via twitter 2/23/2013 7:10:57 PM
Steve Stricker take a bowby MrASullivan via twitter 2/23/2013 7:10:58 PM
Steve Stricker is the man.by DearbornMatthew via twitter 2/23/2013 7:11:00 PM
Wow. Steve Stricker. Drano.by EpiniKian via twitter 2/23/2013 7:11:02 PM
Steve Stricker winning with a beaut #getinthehole #birthdaybonusby Golfing Dweeb via twitter 2/23/2013 7:11:53 PM
Love Steve Stricker's wind up fist pump! What a putt!by davidbulger via twitter 2/23/2013 7:11:56 PM
Steve stricker what a competitor. I hope he goes a long way in this tournament.by bayjon14 via twitter 2/23/2013 7:14:50 PM
Stricker with ice in his veinsby Checko712 via twitter 2/23/2013 7:14:52 PM
Poulter vs Stricker should be fun this afternoon #matchplay #golfby Lomberger via twitter 2/23/2013 7:16:49 PM
Chalk one up for the elders. Lets go Stricker!! #MatchPlayby Brian Smith via twitter 2/23/2013 7:18:50 PM
Webb Simpson takes forever to make his shotby SpankTheBookies via twitter 2/23/2013 7:24:54 PM
I'm thinkin Kuchar or Mahan have this won. Although Garrigus is playin real well. #MatchPlayby CatFaber69 via twitter 2/23/2013 7:31:21 PM
