Australian golfer Marc Leishman will feed off sensational recent form as he looks to book an early appointment in the final 16 at the World Golf Championships-Match Play in Texas.
The 33-year-old Leishman, who broke a five-year winless drought on the US PGA Tour at last week's Arnold Palmer Invitational, cast aside England's Lee Westwood 3 and 2 during Wednesday's (Thursday AEDT) opening round at Austin Country Club.
"After such a big week at Bay Hill, I've got my competitive juices flowing, and I'm really happy to win against a player like Lee," Leishman said.
Earlier, Leishman's countryman Jason Day withdrew, mid-round, from the tournament to fly home to Ohio to be with mother Dening, who has been diagnosed with lung cancer.
Day, the WGC-Match Play champion in 2016 and 2014, choked back tears as he revealed his mother had been flown to Day's home in Columbus where she will undergo surgery on a tumour in her lung on Friday (Saturday AEDT).
With Day grouped in the same pool as Leishman, an automatic point for Friday's forfeited match against world No.3 Day means the Victorian can book a start in the weekend's first elimination round with a victory over American Pat Perez on Thursday (Friday AEDT).
"It's terrible what is going on with Jason's mum," Leishman said.
"I wish her all the best and the whole Day family. When your mind is not there, it's just hard to function I hope she can get through it."
Leishman, who ranks second on Tour for strokes gained in putting, believes an accurate driver and a hot putter will be needed to knock off in-form American Perez, who has one win and three top 10s this season.
"Pat is a great player, and a real competitor. I need to keep driving it well and making putts, which I've been doing well, so hopefully I can beat him," Leishman said.
Earlier, tournament heavyweights Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth suffered the first upsets of the competition.
World No.2 McIlroy was defeated by Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen 2 and 1 in his first match, while Japan's Hideto Tanihara claimed the scalp of two-time major champion Spieth with a 4 and 2 victory.
World No.6 Spieth next takes on unheralded Japanese player Yuta Ikeda while McIlroy faces big-hitting American Gary Woodland, who beat Emiliano Grillo 3 and 2.
Meanwhile, world No.1 Dustin Johnson got his quest for back-to-back WGC titles off to a flyer, thumping former US Open winner Webb Simpson 5 and 3.
Johnson will come up against two-time major winner Martin Kaymer, who defeated Jimmy Walker 3 and 2, in a mouth-watering showdown.
Other big names notching victories were American world No.7 Justin Thomas, who beat Chris Wood 2 and 1, while five-time major champion Phil Mickelson smashed Si Woo Kim 5 and 3.
Japan's world No.4 Hideki Matsuyama and US Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk halved their match while in the day's final two matches, Spain's Jon Rahm defeated Kevin Chappell 3 and 2 before compatriot Sergio Garcia salvaged half a point against Ireland's Shane Lowry, by winning the final hole.
England's Ross Fisher, Matt Fitzpatrick and Andy Sullivan suffered heavy defeats to Louis Oosthuizen, Kevin Na and Branden Grace respectively but there were victories for Tommy Fleetwood over Zach Johnson and Paul Casey against Joost Luiten.
American Brooks Koepka trounced Kevin Kisner 6 and 5 while Scotland's Russell Knox was a 3 and 2 winner over Bill Haas.
In the round-robin format, only one golfer from each group of four progresses to the knockout phase of the tournament.
Share
