MARANA (Arizona), Feb 24: The biggest names may be gone from the WGC-Accenture Match Play Championships but Ian Poulter and Hunter Mahan — the best in match play over the last few years — are still alive.

And the two stars of the fickle format set up a mouth-watering showdown in the last four by winning their quarter-finals on Saturday.

England’s Poulter added to his reputation as a tough match play customer when he beat veteran Steve Stricker with one big putt after another, 3 and 2 to spoil his American opponent’s 46th birthday.

Mahan, trying to join Tiger Woods as the only players to win back-to-back titles in this event, outlasted US Open champion Webb Simpson in 18 holes, triumphing 1-up after a tight match.

Mahan hasn’t lost a match in two years, and even more impressive than his 11 straight wins is that he has gone 151 holes at Dove Mountain without trailing.

The other semi-final will pit Australian Jason Day, at 25 the youngest player left in the draw, against American Matt Kuchar.

Kuchar had no trouble against compatriot Robert Garrigus, building a 4-up lead through 10 holes and hanging on for a 3 and 2 win to reach the semi-finals for the third straight year before Day battled past Northern Ireland’s Graeme McDowell 1-up in a closely contested encounter.—Agencies