Johnson stays perfect, McIlroy eliminated

AUSTIN — World No. 1 Dustin Johnson continued his perfect record at the WGC-Dell Match Play Thursday while No. 2 Rory McIlroy was eliminated without even setting foot on the course. On an extremely windy afternoon at Austin Country Club with gusts of up to 35 miles per hour (56 kph), Johnson coped manfully with the elements to beat German Martin Kaymer 3&2. “Putting is the hardest part,” Johnson told golf Channel after improving to 2-0-0 overall with his second straight win over a major champion. Despite two wins from two matches, Johnson was not guaranteed of advancing out of the group stage. He must win or halve his Friday match against compatriot Jimmy Walker to be certain of advancing to the final 16. The format divides the 64 players into 16 four-man groups, with the winner of each group entering the knockout stage Saturday. After losing to Dane Soren Kjeldsen Wednesday, McIlroy got a win Thursday when his scheduled opponent Gary Woodland withdrew, citing personal family reasons. Even with that walkover, however, McIlroy still needed Kjeldsen to lose his second match to have any chance of advancing out of the round-robin group stage. But Kjeldsen duly shut the door on the Northern Irishman, beating Argentine Emiliano Grillo 4&3 Thursday to improve to 2-0-0. Swede Alexander Noren is also guaranteed of being part of the sweet 16, after beating Austrian Bernd Wiesberger 3&2. McIlroy was not the only highly-ranked player eliminated from the final 16 with world No. 4 Hideki Matsuyama also making an early exit after losing to Englishman Ross Fisher 2&1. Phil Mickelson, who improved to 2-0-0 thanks to a 5&4 thumping of fellow American Daniel Berger, said it was fortunate that the match play format was being used rather than stroke play, given the conditions. Ko struggles, Chun shares lead Top-ranked defending champion Lydia Ko struggled with her putting while South Korea’s Chun In-Gee sizzled late to grab a share of the lead after Thursday’s opening round of the LPGA Kia Classic. New Zealand’s Ko needed a birdie-birdie finish to fire a two-over 74 to give the South Korean-born 19-year-old a share of 81st just a week before she defends a major crown at the ANA Inspiration at Rancho Mirage. Ko began on the back nine with a bogey. She answered with a birdie on 15 but stumbled with three bogeys in a row starting at the par-5 17th. She made another bogey at the par-3 sixth before her hot finish. Chun was among the last players to finish at the Carlsbad, California layout, with birdies on five of the last seven holes to shoot a six-under par 66 and match Americans Cristie Kerr and Mo Martin for the 18-hole lead. She will seek her third major title next week after the 2015 US Women’s Open and last year’s Evian Championship. The 22-year-old was runner-up to Ko at last year’s ANA Inspiration. Martin fired a bogey-free 66. She opened with a birdie, ran off three birdies in a row starting at the par-5 fifth and added birdies at the par-5 10th and 17th holes. Sharing fourth on 68 were France’s Karine Icher, Americans Alison Lee and Marissa Steen, South Korea’s Lee Mi-Rim and Kim Hyo-Joo and Thailand’s Moriya Jutanugarn. — Agencies