Garcia, Thomas advance at WGC Match Play

AUSTIN: World number four Jordan Spieth and seventh-ranked Rory McIlroy were ousted from the World Golf Championships Match Play Championship Friday with defeats in final group matches.

US 18th seed Brian Harman never trailed in dispatching McIlroy 5&3 and capturing his group with two wins and a draw.

Spieth was knocked out by US Ryder Cup partner Patrick Reed, who won their much anticipated match 2&1.

Reed, ranked 23rd in the world, never trailed and rolled in a 40-foot putt from off the 17th green to end Spieth’s hopes of a first title of 2018.

Both will now try to regroup with the first major of the year, the Masters, two weeks away.

Sergio Garcia, tuning up for his Masters title defence at Augusta National, rallied from 2 down through 11 holes to beat rising US star Xander Schauffele 3&1 and reach the last 16.

Thomas pummelled Italian Francesco Molinari 7&5 to set up a meeting with South Korean Kim Si-woo — a 2 up winner over Webb Simpson.

The only thing Thomas could find to regret was that the match only lasted through 13 holes.

McIlroy, managed only two birdies in his final competitive tuneup for the Masters, the only major title the Northern Ireland star needs to complete a career Grand Slam.

Watson birdied the last two holes to halve his match with 64th-seeded Julian Suri.

McIlroy, coming off a victory at Bay Hill last Sunday, admitted he was feeling weary.

“That takes it out of you being in contention, and all that mental energy,” he said.

Other top players who didn’t make it past group play included world number one and defending champion Dustin Johnson, former world number one Jason Day, five-time major winner Phil Mickelson and Spain’s Jon Rahm.