Senden loses in quarters at WGC Match Play

John Senden has been beaten 5 and 3 by American Gary Woodland in the quarter-finals of the WGC Match Play in San Francisco.

With Marc Leishman also falling to Woodland earlier in the day the Australian grasp on the trophy, won by Jason Day last season, is gone.

Senden ran into a birdie blitzkrieg on Saturday afternoon as Woodland shot out to a huge lead early and was never headed.

With birdies on four of the first five holes the American rushed to a 4-up lead and when Senden faltered with bogey on the seventh hole it was all but over as he trailed by five holes.

Woodland handed Senden a small glimmer of hope by butchering the 10th hole to bring the lead back to 4-up but it was short lived as Senden bogeyed 11 to drop five back again.

The 44-year-old refused to throw in the towel, making birdie on the 12th hole to pull within four but couldn’t muster any more magic.

When Senden dumped his approach to the 15th in a bunker and couldn’t hole the sand shot the hat came off and he conceded the match.

While disappointed not to make it to Sunday, Senden leaves with a tied-fifth finish, his highest WGC career result.

Earlier Senden won through to the final eight with a 2&1 win over former event champion Hunter Mahan.

Having trailed for most of the match the Queenslander took the lead on the 14th hole and was able to double his advantage on the 15th before closing it out on the 17th green.

Woodland dismissed Leishman 2&1 but not before the Australian fought back from 3-down through eight holes to square the match through 12.

“I just got off to a bad start and that is what cost me in the end,” Leishman said.

“It was nice to fight back although it was disappointing to lose. But at the end of the day he played well at the end and beat me, I don’t think I lost it, I think he beat me.”

Woodland will meet Englishman Danny Willett in the semi-finals after Willett beat his countryman Tommy Fleetwood 4&3.

Jim Furyk is 2up through 14 holes over Louis Oosthuizen while world No.1 Rory McIlroy is all square with England’s Paul Casey through 13 holes in the other quarter-finals.

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