Jon Rahm will face Charles Howell III for a place in the quarter finals of the WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play on Saturday after he maintained his 100 per cent record with a dominant 6 and 4 victory over fellow Spaniard Sergio Garcia in a Group 7 winner takes all finale.
The 22 year old was in red hot form around the course as he recorded four birdies during his 14-hole match with only one flaw on his card against an out of sorts Garcia.
Howell III secured his place in the knockout phase after being triumphant in a three-man play-off with Tyrrell Hatton and Rafa Cabrera Bello to win Group 10 at Austin Country Club.
A play-off consisting of three or more players meant match play reverted to a more traditional stroke play but there was confusion at the first when Hatton made accidental contact with the ball while addressing a par putt before holing out - a move that would have gone unpenalised if he made the match official aware.
That meant Hatton had to leave Cabrera Bello and Howell III to play an extra four holes to determine the winner of Group 10 in an intense head-to-head.
The duo parred the next two holes before Cabrera Bello scraped through the fourth play-off hole with a bogey - which Howell III could not beat - after an outstanding recovery shot landed to within two feet of the pin after his initial shot hit the wall in front to sit back in the original position.
But Howell III piled the pressure on the Spaniard with a terrific approach to tap in for birdie at the fifth with Cabrera Bello only able to make par.
Garcia and Rahm halved the opening two holes before the latter took the initiative with his first birdie at the third after sinking a 12-foot putt.
Rahm extended the lead at the next to two up following a Garcia bogey but the World Number Ten pulled one back with his first birdie at the fifth before both players parred the next three holes.
It really is something that made us want to beat each other a little more and made it a little more special - Jon Rahm
He doubled his advantage at the turn when he carded his second birdie of the round followed by another gain at the tenth to put him three up.
A 352-yard drive helped Rahm earn another birdie on the 12th to extend his lead to four up before Garcia bogeyed the next to leave the World Number 25 dormie five and he sealed the win with a wonderful approach at the 14th, which landed four feet from the pin for a concession.
“Once I made that birdie, I got a lot of confidence on my swing and played really, really good golf from then on. Honestly, almost perfect,” Rahm said.
“We knew we were going to have fun. And just the emotion, sentiment of being friends and being out here in the World Golf Championship, it really is something that made us want to beat each other a little more and made it a little more special.”
Cabrera Bello ensured a play-off with Hatton following his 2 and 1 win over the Englishman.
Hatton only needed a half to progress as Group 10 leader after winning his first two round robin matches but he came unstuck against the World Number 26 in the decider.
The Cabrera Bello win opened the door for Howell III to join the two European Tour Members in the three-way play-off after he secured a 2 and 1 success over Jeunghun Wang in the other Group 10 clash.
In the other Group 7 tie, Shane Lowry fell to a defeat at the hands of Kevin Chappell, who came away with a one up win.
Søren Kjeldsen - winner of Group 2 and did not play on Friday after the withdrawal of Gary Woodland for family reasons - will face William McGirt in the last 16 after the American advanced with a 100 per cent record following a one up victory over Andy Sullivan in their Group 15 clash.
Brandt Snedeker came away victorious with a 5 and 4 win over Branden Grace in their Group 15 contest, while in the only Group 2 clash, Rory McIlroy and Emiliano Grillo finished all square in their dead rubber.
