Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar advance to the Match Play quarterfinals

Another day is in the books at the WGC-Accenture, as three American players, two top seeds, and couple under-the-radar names advanced to Saturday’s quarterfinals. Here’s a rundown of five key matches from Marana, Ariz.

No. 4 Matt Kuchar def. No. 1 Martin Kaymer (4 and 3) — Aside from Hunter Mahan (we’ll get to him in a sec), Matt Kuchar could be the hottest player left in the bracket. He posted a bogey-free front nine on Friday to grab a 2-up lead, before turning it into a rout with birdies on the 10th and 11th to move to 4-up. Martin Kaymer never stood a chance of making it back to the Accenture final for the second year in a row. Kuchar faces fellow American Hunter Mahan on Saturday.

No. 6 Hunter Mahan def. No. 2 Steve Stricker (4 and 3) — Mahan was dialed-in against Stricker, carding nine birdies (including four straight on the back nine) in one of the most impressive performances of the tournament. He now has 16 birdies in his last 30 holes, and that’s exactly what you want when you’re going head-to-head with the best players in the world. Mahan advances to the quarterfinals for the first time in five Accenture starts.

No. 10 Mark Wilson def. No. 3 Dustin Johnson (4 and 3) — Dove Mountain is the longest course on the PGA Tour, but that hasn’t deterred Mark Wilson from taking out a couple of bombers on his way to the quarterfinals. After dropping Bo Van Pelt in the opening round, Wilson ended Dustin Johnson’s week with a four-hole stretch on the front nine that saw him go 4-up after six holes. Wilson will play unheralded Swede Peter Hanson.

No. 1 Lee Westwood def. No. 4 Nick Watney (3 and 2) — Westwood said after his match that he was just looking forward to the opportunity to pick a new restaurant for Friday night, but we’d guess he’s also excited about making it to the quarters for the first time in 12 appearances. For the second day in a row, he birdied the first two holes and put the pressure on Watney early before settling into a dogfight for much of the front nine. But the momentum shifted starting on the eighth when Westwood won the first of three consecutive holes to take a 4-up lead. He’s yet to trail in the 49 holes he’s played this week.

No. 9 Peter Hanson def. No. 5 Brandt Snedeker (5 and 3) — Hanson’s dream run continued on Friday against Brandt Snedeker, as the Swede used eight birdies to bury the Farmers Insurance Open champ, 5 and 3. Mahan has been piling up the birdies at a ridiculous clip, but you can’t discount what Hanson has done in his last two matches, carding 13 birdies and winning 5-up against Ernie Els and Snedeker.

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