Sergio Garcia produced one of the greatest moments in WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play history as he made a hole-in-one to defeat Lee Westwood in a play-off and advance to the last 16.
The Spaniard had been firmly in control of Group Eight at Austin Country Club but a 3&2 defeat to Matt Wallace coupled with Westwood's 4&3 victory over Tyrrell Hatton meant the Ryder Cup veterans would go to extra holes to see who would make it to the knockout stages.
Westwood had piled on the pressure as Garcia was forced to make smart up-and-downs on the second and third but his tee shot on the fourth took one bounce and spun back into the hole to prompt stunned celebrations on the tee.
Garcia will next face Mackenzie Hughes, whose half against Talor Gooch was enough to hand him victory in Group Nine.
"I really don't know what to say," Garcia said. "A hole-in-one is amazing.
"The two putts I made on two and three - massive to keep myself going. And then obviously the shot on four, it's a great shot, but then you get lucky that first of all it doesn't hit the flag because it must have been very close to hitting the flag, and then it rolls back in.
"Obviously very happy about that. I'm sorry for Lee because I did a couple of stupid things to him this week, the first day and today, but unfortunately one of us had to lose."
Earlier, Wallace and Garcia had been all square at the turn but the Englishman put his second at the tenth to tap-in range before Garcia put two in the water at the 13th and Wallace birdied the next.
In Westwood's match, he lost the first after a Hatton birdie but holed a 20 footer on the second, a 15 footer on the fourth and played an excellent approach to the sixth, with Hatton bogeying the eighth.
The World Number Eight hit back on the tenth but Westwood made his birdie on the par five 12th and Hatton bogeyed the next after finding the water.
Garcia and Westwood's showdown was one of eight play-offs required to decide groups and Billy Horschel needed extra holes to progress from Group Four.
In his final group match, Horschel beat fellow American Collin Morikawa 3&2, breaking the shackles in a tight match with birdies on the 12th, 13th and 16th.
That set up a play-off against Max Homa and after both men parred the first and bogeyed the second, Horschel put an approach to three feet on the third to set up a birdie and the win.
"I was more nervous in the play-off than I have been in all my three matches today or this week," he said. "I just think when you know you want to move on and you want to get into that round of 16... I've had several opportunities over the years to move on and I haven't done it."
He will next face Kevin Streelman, who also needed a play-off to beat Abraham Ancer.
Well , 28 years on tour and I thought I’d seen everything. I hadn’t! 🤣🤣🤣
— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) March 26, 2021
The Mexican had won his first two matches in Group 13 and was three up after ten holes in his third but lost the 11th, 12th, 15th, 16th and 17th to taste defeat on the last against Viktor Hovland.
He was inside Streelman - who had earlier defeated Bernd Wiesberger one up - after the approaches into the first extra hole but the American holed from ten feet for a winning birdie.
Jordan Spieth beat Corey Connors 3&2 to win Group 15 and he will next face Matt Kuchar, who defeated defending champion Kevin Kisner 2&1 in a winner takes all clash in Group Two.
Bubba Watson - the 2018 champion - beat Joaquin Niemann in a play-off to win Group Seven and takes on Brian Harman in the last 16.
Harman beat Patrick Cantlay in a play-off to win Group Ten.
