32 matches. 32 players advance. 32 are heading home.
Day one of the Aberdeen Asset Management Paul Lawrie Match Play did not disappoint, with eagles, birdies, hole-outs and six matches that required extra holes. With 16 matches scheduled for Friday morning, we’ve picked five matches to keep an eye out for.
Alex Noren vs Renato Paratore
Perhaps the pick of Friday morning’s matches is Match 47, where Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open winner Alex Noren will face Italy’s Renato Paratore. Noren maintained his impressive recent form with seven birdies and no bogeys in 14 holes in round one, beating Scott Jamieson 5&4. While 19 year old Paratore wasted no time in beating Stephen Gallacher 7&6, tying the record for the biggest win in the tournament’s two year history. He also made seven birdies and had no dropped shots on his card in his first round, and will feel like he has nothing to lose in the second round, having been the last player into the field this week.
Matt Fitzpatrick vs Matt Ford
Match 43 features two players in very different situations in their season. Matt Fitzpatrick picked up his second European Tour win two months ago in Sweden and is on the verge of his first Ryder Cup appearance, while Ford is 130th in the Race to Dubai and fighting for his 2017 European Tour card. Fitzpatrick looked in good form in his opening round tie, cruising past Thomas Bjørn 4&3, while Ford battled to win seven of his last 11 holes to see off the big-hitting Pelle Edberg. A good week for Fitzpatrick will secure his place at Hazeltine next month. A good week for Ford will go a long way to securing his playing privileges for next year.
Chris Wood vs Daniel Brooks
World Number 25 Chris Wood looked fit and in-form on Thursday, beating Brett Rumford 4&3 to set up a second round match with Daniel Brooks. Like Fitzpatrick, Wood is all but assured of a spot on The Ryder Cup team but will hope to secure some more match play practice with a win over Brooks, who finds himself on the Race to Dubai bubble, currently 103rd. The pair were a combined 11 under par, with no dropped shots, in Thursday’s opening round so expect a high quality Friday match-up.
Richie Ramsay vs Roope Kakko
Two players who enjoyed prolific amateur success face off in Match 37 on Friday. Richie Ramsay became the first Brit to the win the US Amateur Championship in nearly 100 years when he won the title back in 2006, while Kakko was the third amateur to win a tournament on the Challenge Tour, when he won his home event, the Volvo Finnish Open in 2004. Both men needed extra holes to clinch their opening round matches, with Ramsay holing a 20 foot birdie putt on the first extra hole to beat David Howell, and Kakko making a fine eagle on the second extra hole to overcome Havret.
Hayden Porteous vs David Horsey
Two recent European Tour winners go head-to-head in Match 34. Big-hitting Hayden Porteous, who won the Joburg Open earlier this season, survived a late charge from John Parry to win on the first extra hole. Meanwhile, David Horsey, who won the Made in Denmark last year, took little time in dispatching Sebastian Gros 6&4 on Thursday. In 2015, Porteous average's drive was more than 50 yards longer than Horsey's average, meaning the Englishman will be hitting into the hole first on the majority of holes on Friday morning. That should make for an interesting match-up.
