Korean machine Si Woo maintains winning run at Austin

Si Woo Kim eased to a second win in as many matches at the World Golf Championships-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin, Texas, on Thursday with a 4&3 result over Viktor Hovland of Norway.

Si Woo added to his reputation as match play specialist after cruising past the world number nine at the Austin Country Club and now needs only to hold off US veteran Matt Kuchar to seal his spot in the second round of the $20 million event.

The Korean machine stands 2-0-0 in Group 8, making it the first time in six attempts at the Dell Tech Match Play that he is poised to enter the round of 16.

Elsewhere, it was not a very good day for the cream of Asia’s golfers.

Fellow Koreans Sungjae Im, Joohyung ‘Tom; Kim and K.H. Lee all suffered losses as did Japanese superstar Hideki Matsuyama and Indian-American Sahith Theegala Reddy.

J.T. Poston of the US beat Im in a tight match 1-up, world number four Patrick Cantlay got the better of Lee 4&2 for an all-win start, Tom Kim scrapped till the end in a 1-up defeat to Davis Riley, Matsuyama went down 1&3 to Justin Suh of the US. and Theegala failed to put his first win on the board in a 5&4 defeat to J.J. Spaun.

At the top, defending champion and world no. 1 Scottie Scheffler carved out a facile 5&4 victory over Sweden’s Alex Noren and now only needs to tie his final Group 1 match against Joohyung Kim.

FedExCup champion and 2015 Dell Technologies Match Play winner Rory McIlroy also secured a second group win with a 2-up win over a battling Denny McCarthy, wrapping up the match with a drive at the par-4 final hole that ended four feet away from the pin.

Si Woo opened up an early 2-up lead through three holes after Hovland dropped shots on the first and third. The Korean star cruised to a 4-up lead through the turn with birdies on the fourth and ninth holes before closing the Norwegian out at the 15th green.

“It was a great start, like yesterday and today, I was 1-up on the first hole, so I think that helps a lot and then the rest of the way, I just tried to play my game. My swing was working. It was a good match with good players, so it was fun,” said Kim, top performer for the Internationals with three points at the Presidents Cup against the USA last September.

He will face a tough final group match against Kuchar, who needs a win to advance. Kuchar, who won the tournament in 2013 and was runner-up in 2019, tied his second match against Chris Kirk, missing a six-footer for a win.

“Mindset like the same, so trying to just my play my own game and trying to keep my swing,” said Kim, who improves his tournament record to 7-8-3.

“I think the Presidents Cup helps me gain a lot of experience, and after the Presidents Cup, I feel comfortable and I like to match play,” added the Korean, whose performance in Quail Hollow last fall included an impressive singles win over Justin Thomas.

Sungjae Im blew a 3-up lead with six holes remaining as he was pipped by Poston 1-up, with the American making four late birdies to grab back the initiative in the Group 16 match. Im

now needs to beat Tommy Fleetwood in his last match on Friday and hope Maverick McNealy beats Poston to force a sudden-death play-off to determine the group winner.

Matsuyama, who lost 3&1 to Suh, must also win and is up against the in-form Max Homa, who has won his first two matches, to have any hopes of advancing into the knock-out stage.