Every News: Woods falls to Bjerregaardin WGC Match Play quarter-final

Woods falls to Bjerregaardin WGC Match Play quarter-final
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WASHINGTON: Tiger Woods won a dramatic morning showdown with Rory McIlroy only to be upset by Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard in Saturday’s quarter-finals of the WGC Match Play Championship.Woods, a 14-time major champion seeking a fourth WGC Match Play title, defeated McIlroy 2&1 in a morning knockout match only to fall 1-up to the 50th-seeded Dane, dropping the 18th hole when he missed a four-foot par putt."We read it inside left center and it went left," Woods said. "It was just one of those weird spots. It’s match play. They are going to put the pins in difficult spots and we just have to make the shots."Bjerregaard, who will face US 23rd seed Matt Kuchar in the semi-final, marveled at his achievement and the crowds Woods drew to Austin (Texas) Country Club. "We had a great match. It’s a shame it had to end like this," Bjerregaard said.Italy’s Francesco Molinari, the highest remaining seed at seventh, will meet US 48th seed Kevin Kisner, last year’s runner-up to Bubba Watson, in Sunday’s other morning semi-final to set up an 18-hole afternoon championship final.Bjerregaard, who also ousted Sweden’s Henrik Stenson 3&2, opened with a 5-foot birdie then rallied after Woods answered with three consecutive birdies. A bogey was enough for Woods to win the par-3 11th for a 1-up lead. Both birdied 12 and 13, then Bjerregaard missed long birdie putts to halve 14 and 15.Bjerregaard sank a 29-foot eagle putt at the par-5 16th to level the match, then drained a 13-footer for birdie at the par-3 17th, forcing Woods to sink a tense six-footer for birdie to stay level as they reached the 18th.Woods chipped into a bunker but blasted out and, after Bjerregaard missed a birdie put to win, the 43-year-old American lipped out his last putt.Woods, the 13th seed, never trailed in taking full advantage of McIlroy’s struggles with the putter and a double-bogey disaster at the 16th hole as spectators roared.McIlroy, who had dropped only three holes in three matches, was 3-down after 10 against Woods but birdied to win 12 and 13 and looked to win 16 after Woods buried his tee shot under a bunker lip.Instead, McIlroy followed a mammoth tee shot by finding a right rough slope, chipping over the green against a boundary mark, chipping again into a bunker and blasting out to two feet before surrendering the hole.Woods holed a 13-footer to halve 17 and complete the victory. McIlroy, a four-time major champion, can complete a Career Grand Slam in two weeks by winning the Masters.Reigning British Open champion Molinari, Europe’s Ryder Cup hero in last year’s triumph over the US team in France, eliminated English 10th seed Paul Casey 5&4 and then beat US 57th seed Kevin Na 6&5. Na, who had upset English second seed Justin Rose 2-up, began with a birdie but dropped the next six holes and never recovered.