Tucson (US): Indian pro Jeev Milkha Singh
continued his dream run in the WGC-Accenture Match Play
Championship, ousting two-time PGA Tour winner Matt Kuchar to
breeze into the third round of the USD 8.5 million elite golf
tournament here.
Jeev, who had upstaged three-time Major winner Padraig
Harrington in his opening round, tamed Kuchar one-up in the
Bobby Jones bracket to set up a third round showdown with
Englishman and eight-time European Tour winner Ian Poulter,
who edged out Adam Scott 2 and 1.
The Indian played immaculate golf with the fifth hole
bogey being the lone blot in his otherwise impeccable card.
Jeev did not have a great start as Kuchar won the opening
hole with a par. But the Indian was soon in his elements and
he two-putted from 67 feet to birdie the par-five eighth hole
which put him one up and the gap increased with Kuchar
dropping a shot on the next.
Jeev went three-up after the 13th hole birdie but his
American opponent responded with back-to-back birdies on the
14th and 15th holes to inject some fresh drama.
Jeev's short game, however, stood him in good stead and
Kuchar could not bridge that gap.
"I ground it out and I think that's what match play is
all about. You cannot lose patience and you have to hole those
short putts which is what I did," an elated Jeev later said.
"It was real hard work. I think it was a fantastic match.
It started off not too good on the first, but came back pretty
good. Matt came back strong and birdied 14, 15, and I made
some good up-and-downs on 16 and 17 and the last was an
exciting one," said the affable Indian.
The face-off with Poulter would be an opportunity for
Jeev to avenge his last year's defeat at the Englishman's
hand.
PTI
First Published: Friday, February 19, 2010, 11:45