Cameron Smith has given his Masters hopes a huge boost with a gutsy victory against world No.6 Hideki Matsuyama on day two at the World Golf Championships-Match Play in Texas.
With the match on the line, Smith holed out for eagle from greenside rough on the par-5 16th hole at Austin Country Club en route to a one-up win against fifth seed Matsuyama.
With two points from as many matches, Smith only needs to halve his match against Japan's Yusaku Miyazato on day three to advance to the round of 16.
Progression to the elimination stage will put Smith in the driver's seat to remain inside the world's top 50 golfers and qualify for a second career start at Augusta, with the Masters field all but finalised on Monday.
Ranked No.50, Smith needs to at least equal the results of every player seeded below him this week.
But the Brisbane native says he'll take confidence from grinding a result from two tough matches, having defeated Patrick Cantlay on day one.
"It was good to knock Pat off yesterday; it was a hard match and then Hideki today," Smith said.
"I scrambled all day in the wind, but to be able to get it done was pretty cool."
Smith's countryman Jason Day fell 3 and 1 to former US PGA Championship winner Jason Dufner.
But Day, the 2014 and 2016 WGC-Match Play champion, is still in the contest.
The Queenslander can still advance to the elimination stage if he can repeat his 2016 final victory over group opponent Louis Oosthuizen, and if Dufner and James Hahn halve their match.
"I have to win; I've got to get something going ..." Day said after his match.
Marc Leishman suffered a second straight loss of the week, falling 3 and 2 to Bubba Watson.
The loss ensured an early exit for the Australian who meets South Africa's Branden Grace in the next match.
Meanwhile, Jordan Spieth picked up a second point with a 4 and 2 win over Haotong Li, setting up a mouth-watering third-round clash with Patrick Reed.
Reed also jagged a second point during a one-up victory over South Africa's Charl Schwartzel.
Ian Poulter lived up to his Ryder Cup match play heroics during a 2 and 1 win over Daniel Berger and is in control of fellow Englishman Tommy Fleetwood's group.
In the biggest shock of the tournament, defending champion Dustin Johnson was bundled out with his second straight loss.
The No.1 seed was thumped 4 and 3 by Canadian Adam Hadwin.
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