Patrick Reed gained a small measure of revenge for last month's Ryder Cup defeat by knocking European hero Jamie Donaldson out of the Volvo World Match Play Championship.
Reed, who was the top scorer for the United States at Gleneagles, beat Donaldson 3 and 2 in the final round of group matches at London Golf Club to advance to Saturday’s quarter-finals.
Donaldson, who secured the winning point against Keegan Bradley to make it three wins from four matches on his Ryder Cup debut, was never ahead against Reed, who carded five birdies but was also crucially gifted the 11th when Donaldson three-putted from close range.
Birdies on the 12th and 14th took Reed four ahead with four to play and, although Donaldson kept the match alive by almost holing his second shot to the par five 15th and hitting his tee shot to two feet on the next, Reed also made birdie on the 16th to seal the win.
Reed, who lost his opening game to Jonas Blixt but responded by beating Paul Casey, said: “It feels good. The first round felt like I didn't make any putts. When you lose the first one, you know your back is up against the wall and you have to win going out.
“To be able to play very solidly the last two rounds, especially late in the day, I made a lot of putts and today I made a lot of clutch and solid putts, which is key to match play.”
Also in the McCormack Group Casey and Blixt battled brilliantly to halve their match with ten under par 62s.
However Casey found water on the first sudden-death extra hole to cruelly crash out as Blixt advanced to the last eight.
Blixt said: “Paul played great, especially on the back nine. He definitely put a lot of pressure on me and snuck away with a couple holes. I snuck away with a couple holes, as well.
“It was just a great match. I talked to my caddie about it and we were like, this is how we want to play a golf match.”
Victor Dubuisson was the only player already through to the quarters after winning his first two matches, the Frenchman's final game against Ryder Cup team-mate Stephen Gallacher a dead rubber after the Scot's two earlier losses.
Gallacher at least signed off with a win and a bogeyless round, beating Dubuisson 2 and 1.
Pablo Larrazábal joined Dubuisson in advancing from the Gabrielsson Group thanks to the same scoreline versus Shane Lowry.
Defending champion Graeme McDowell was eliminated when he lost to Joost Luiten, who came from three holes down to complete a perfect Larson Group campaign with victory by two holes.
McDowell, who won this tournament in Bulgaria last year, said: “(I’m) very disappointed of course by my defence but (there’s) quality golf out there. The golf course is set up to be ripped apart and unless you're shooting 64, 65, you're going home.”
Mikko Ilonen joined Luiten in advancing from that pool thanks to a one hole defeat of Alexander Levy.
Henrik Stenson went through from the Palmer Group by clinching a 2 and 1 win over Thongchai Jaidee, a scoreline completed by holing out from the 17th fairway.
Speaking about that shot, Stenson said: “I felt like if I can stick my lob wedge in there a little bit past and try to spin it back, and came out with a nice flight and knew it was going to be pretty good but (it was) a bonus that it went in the hole and spectacular way to finish.”
Stenson progressed from the Palmer pool alongside George Coetzee, despite the South African losing 2 and 1 to Francesco Molinari.
The quarter-final line-up pitted Coetzee against Reed, Dubuisson versus Ilonen, Luiten against Larrazábal and Stenson versus Blixt in a Swedish showdown.
