Luke Donald ousts Matteo Manassero in third round of Match Play Championship
Veteran Luke Donald has ousted the 17-year-old Matteo Manassero from the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship being held at the Ritz-Carlton golf club in Arizona on Friday.
Manassero, who forced Steve Stricker and Charl Schwartzel out of the tournament, failed to put an equal fight against the mighty Donald and slipped out of the quarterfinal at the Dove Mountain Course.
The Italian lost four holes in the opening seven while Donald birdied the first, fourth, fifth and seventh cups. The teenager tried to combat the Englishman at the eighth with a birdie and succeeded. However, on the following holes, the ninth seed smashed
two back-to-back birdies that eventually pushed him to 5-up.
The winner of Castello Masters did not give up the fight and chipped a long eagle at the par-5 13th hole before birdying the 15th. Despite earning points on the back nine, Manassero lost the round and Donald won with a score of 3 &
2.
The Italian put a superb fight in the end, which is why he was not disappointed with his performance.
The world number 59 said, “I am delighted with the way I played this week. And I'm delighted to go up to Friday here. I have done my best today. I certainly did not play worse than the other days. I just met a tough competitor.”
He applauded the game of the English winner and accepted his defeat with dignity.
Meanwhile, Donald who had a bogey-free round on Friday, congratulated Manassero for a superb show. He said, “He’s done really well, to take out Stricker and then Schwartzel yesterday. I know I was nowhere near ready to be competing at 17. He's ahead of the
curve, for sure.”
Eight golfers will feature in the semi-final stage of the Match Play Championship which will begin from Saturday due to the inclement weather forecast for Sunday.
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