Quirky first day of WGC-Match Play features romp by Maverick McNealy, the last man in after late WD

Maverick McNealy was at home in Las Vegas last week clinging to hope he would get into the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play.

After traveling to Texas on Sunday in case he would get in, McNealy got a call Monday night that he was in when Sam Burns, who won last week’s Valspar Invitational, withdrew.

Then McNealy made quick work of Joaquin Niemann in Wednesday’s opening round of pool play at Austin Country Club. McNealy won five of the first seven holes and closed out Niemann, who won the Genesis Invitational earlier this year, on the 12^th hole. The 8 and 6 win matched the largest margin of victory in a match since the event moved to Austin in 2016.

“It suits my eye,” McNealy said of the course. “I noticed that immediately when I got out here on Sunday evening, before I was in the field, and I said I really hope I get a chance to play because I love the way it looks.”

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McNealy’s match wasn’t the lone peculiar one of the 32 played on the Pete Dye-designed course. So it goes with match play.

Back spasms forced Paul Casey to concede his match to Corey Connors after two holes. Jordan Spieth didn’t take his first lead until the 16^th hole in his 2 up win over Keegan Bradley. Justin Thomas never led and lost 3 and 2 to Luke List, who won the Farmers Insurance Open in January.

Viktor Hovland made seven birdies but hit three balls into the water and had two three-putts before pulling out a 1 up win over Sepp Straka. Louis Oosthuizen made seven birdies and lost, 2 and 1, to Alex Noren.

And Adam Scott said he won a “pillow match” against Justin Rose. One hole summed up the match – Rose hit his tee shot on the par-3 17^th into an unplayable area, took a penalty drop but then holed his shot from the drop area 98 yards away for a par to halve the hole. He lost the final hole with a bogey.

“We gave each other a lot of holes, certainly nothing for me to brag about,” Scott said after his 2-up win. “We played a lot of golf with each other over the years and we certainly didn’t have our best stuff today. But obviously, I’m happy to squeak out a point and kind of keep my hopes alive for the next couple days.”

What did seem normal was Kevin Kisner, who won the 2019 title and was second in 2018. He won his 17^th match at Austin Country Club, the most of any player, by never trailing in a 4 and 3 win against Marc Leishman.

“Just trying to be really annoying,” Kisner said of his match play DNA. “When you’re really annoying it can get under their skin. I don’t have the most firepower but never give a hole away is kind of my MO, and that’s what I love about this golf course, is I can chase the ball out there in the fairways and hole a few putts.”

Defending champion Billy Horschel defeated Min Loo Lee, 3 and 2. Among other winners included Xander Schauffele (3-and-2 over Takumi Kanaya), Scottie Scheffler (2 and 1 over Ian Poulter), and Collin Morikawa (2-and-1 over Robert MacIntyre).

The second round of pool play continues Thursday. After Friday’s action, the field will be trimmed to 16 players and single elimination will begin Saturday.

And the last player into the field, McNealy, who would have played in the opposite-field Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic this week if he hadn’t gotten into the Match Play, got off to a great start in his first WGC start.

“The game feels great,” he said. “I was itching to play. If I hadn’t gotten in this field I would have been really fired up and wanting to go play great down there and make it in every tournament I wanted to play.”