The finals of the 2013 WGC-Accenture Match Play have hit the turn and defending champion Hunter Mahan will have to get to work quickly on making up a 4-hole deficit to Matt Kuchar. Mahan had not trailed in a match since early in the first round of last year’s WGC Match Play event, but Kuchar put him in the hole by No. 4 in the championship match on Sunday.
WGC-Accenture Match Play 2013 bracket: Matt Kuchar controls finals match vs. Hunter Mahan
The final match at the WGC Match Play has made the turn, and Matt Kuchar has pulled away in the All-American title.
Darren Carroll
Kuchar, who’s made the quarterfinals and semifinals in the past two years here, extended his lead on the front nine to make the turn 4-up. Mahan was the only player in the morning matches to finish his match under par, as the other three raked up bogeys in the miserable conditions. But he’s certainly struggled to scramble in his second match of the day, missing on approach shots and yielding holes to the steady Kuchar.
Mahan’s bogeys at the fourth and fifth hole opened the door for Kuchar, who then fired a birdie at the par-3 No. 6 to take a commanding early lead. Kuchar, who’s looking to avenge a quarterfinals loss to Mahan last year, then got up-and-down from the rough at the back of the eighth green for par. Mahan, on the other hand, badly missed his approach shot to the right and had his par-saving putt lip out to fall four holes behind.
It looked like the margin might be cut down to three on the ninth after Kuchar his tee shot and approach all over the yard. But he made another excellent chip shot to put his ball within a foot of the cup, forcing Mahan to give it to him. The defending champ will have to hope Kuchar slips up around the green on the back side. But so far this week, Kuchar has been unrelenting and given his opponents few windows to pick up holes against him. It’s all part of the reason why he has the highest winning percentage in this event’s history, and he appears to be on his way to building on that impressive record with an overall win and his first ever WGC title.
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