MARANA (Arizona), Feb 23: More top seeds tumbled out of the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships on Friday, making the word ‘upset’ more a description of the mood of the losers than any shock at the results in golf's most unpredictable tournament.

Former champion Luke Donald, the No 3 seed, was the biggest name to fall in the second round as he suffered his worst loss in 25 matches at this tournament after being pummelled 7 and 6 by American Scott Piercy.

Making his first appearance in the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) event, Piercy will next meet 2001 champion Steve Stricker who edged past fellow American Nick Watney after 21 holes.

Louis Oosthuizen (No 4) and Justin Rose (No 5) never even reached the 17th tee before they were sent packing. They joined Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods, who both lost on Thursday.

When another wild day ended at Dove Mountain, Masters champion Bubba Watson was the last man standing among the top 10 seeds.

“This game ... it's a toss-up,” Watson said after going 22 holes to beat Jim Furyk. “You can't really judge who's going to win, or bet who's going to win.”

It was the first time since the Championships began in 1999 that only one top-10 seed was remaining after two rounds.

Oosthuizen, a former Masters champion from South Africa, joined the exodus of bracket leaders as he was beaten 3 and 2 by American Robert Garrigus while Rose was also on his way home, falling 4 and 2 to Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts.

Garrigus faces Jason Day who overcame a clutch putt on the 18th hole to beat PGA Tour rookie Russell Henley on the 19th while Colsaerts will next face American Matt Kuchar, who beat Spaniard Sergio Garcia 2 and 1.

Ireland's Shane Lowry showed no letdown after his triumph over McIlroy, advancing with a convincing 6 and 5 victory over Sweden's Carl Petterson. He's the first 64th seed to reach the third round in the 15-year history of the event.

Lowry booked a third-round match against another old friend from Northern Ireland, Graeme McDowell — who finally put away Sweden's Alexander Noren at the 20th hole.

The other giant killer, Charles Howell III, wasn’t so fortunate. After beating Woods on Thursday, he ran out of steam as he was crushed 6 and 5 by Spaniard Gonzalo Fernandez-Castano.

Ian Poulter, the 2010 champion, also advanced with a 3 and 1 victory over American Bo Van Pelt to set up a third-round encounter with South African Tim Clark, who beat Dane Thorbjorn Olesen 3 and 2.

Defending champion Hunter Mahan had an easy time with Richard Sterne to win his eighth straight match, and next faces the last player to beat him in this event — Martin Kaymer, who defeated Rafael Cabrera Bello of Spain.

US Open champion Webb Simpson moved on with a 1-up win over Sweden's Peter Hanson and next faces Fernandez-Castano.—Agencies

Opinion

Editorial

Sustainable path?
Updated 13 Jun, 2026

Sustainable path?

The FY27 budget is the first clear signal that the government is ready to transition from stabilisation to growth.
Prioritising education
13 Jun, 2026

Prioritising education

THOUGH the improvement in the country’s literacy rate may be slight, as highlighted by the Economic Survey, it ...
Poverty’s rise
13 Jun, 2026

Poverty’s rise

AS attention turns to the government’s plans for the coming fiscal year, one set of figures deserves particular...
A difficult story
Updated 12 Jun, 2026

A difficult story

Unless productivity becomes the dominant target of economic policy, Pakistan will continue to oscillate between crises and fragile recovery.
Rough waters
12 Jun, 2026

Rough waters

AMONGST the key potential triggers for fresh conflict in South Asia is water. The Indian state is behaving in an...
Politicised football
12 Jun, 2026

Politicised football

ALMOST three-and-half years since Lionel Messi led Argentina to FIFA World Cup glory, the latest edition of...