Power surges past Hatton into quarter-finals

Seamus Power has already qualified for the Masters Tournament this week but he will now have a maiden World Golf Championships title in his sights after beating Tyrrell Hatton to advance to the quarter-finals of the 2022 WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play.

The Irishman claimed his maiden US PGA Tour title at the 2021 Barbasol Championship - which joins the DP World Tour International Schedule for 2022 - to help him make his WGC debut this week.

Born in Waterford, the 35-year-old has based himself in the United States for most of his professional career but has taken up Affiliate Membership of the DP World Tour and is making his fourth appearance this week.

He was in total control from the outset against Englishman Hatton - who has made it through the group stages three times in five appearances at this event but lost in the last-16 each time - moving 5 Up after eight and eventually sealing a 4 & 3 win.

"It was a really good start and it was match play, so I was able to have the honour, put some pressure on him," said Power. "I wasn't making any mistakes to give him any easy ones to get back into it.

"So it wasn't his day, obviously. Putts didn't drop for him and breaks didn't go his way and they did for me and that's match play sometimes."

A three-putt bogey on the first and ragged drive on the third from Hatton put Power 2 Up and he then put a tee-shot to eight feet on the fourth, an approach to tap-in range at fifth and holed a 13-footer at the eighth to take control.

Hatton fought back to win the ninth and 13th but Power also took the 11th with the damage already done.

Power will next face Scottie Scheffler, who beat defending champion Billy Horschel in a tight contest.

Neither player was ever more than 1 Up and it took a moment of magic from Scheffler to get up and down and win the par-five 16th, taking a lead he would not relinquish as the final two holes were halved in pars.

The winner of that match will face a former World Number One in the semi-finals, with Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka set to face off after wins over Richard Bland and Jon Rahm.

Bland was one of the stories of the week as the 49-year-old - making his debut at this event - tried to get into the top 50 in the Official World Golf Ranking and qualify for the Masters Tournament.

But he came up against a man in Johnson who had won his last eight match play matches - dating back to the Ryder Cup where he finished with a perfect record.

The dream was very much alive as Johnson bogeyed the second and Bland birdied the third from ten feet, with the duo exchanging birdies on the fourth and fifth.

Johnson then took advantage of the par-five sixth and approaches to inside ten feet at the eighth and ninth put the two-time Major Champion up at the turn.

He made it three in a row with a tap-in at the tenth and while he bogeyed the 11th to give Bland hope, gains on the 12th and 16th closed the match out 3 & 2.

Rahm lost out on the first play-off hole to Koepka in a match where he could never get his nose in front.

A Rahm bogey on the third put Koepka ahead and while the Spaniard birdied the fifth, Koepka was back ahead with a gain at the eighth.

Rahm found water on the 12th and 14th but made par on both - winning the latter - although he could not get up and down from an awkward spot on the 13th and Koepka birdied the 15th to sit 2 Up.

The U.S. Open champion took advantage of the 16th and then got a lucky break to not find the hazard on the next, winning with par as Koepka hit a wild tee-shot, but Koepka holed a 16-footer from the fringe to birdie the first extra hole and take the win.